IFE - Oficina de Presupuesto del Congreso

BUDGET EXECUTION OF SOCIAL INVESTMENT IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

by Juan Fourcaud | Feb 2, 2021 | Budget Execution

In mid-2020, there were 13,151,586 children and adolescents (up to 17 years of age) in Argentina. 57.1% of that universe was poor and 15.8%, indigent, rates much higher than the general average of the population.

About 4.6 million of children and 2.9 million of adolescents were below the poverty line.
Poverty and indigence rates in households with children and adolescents were three times higher than those in households without children and adolescents.
Of households with employed persons in which minors live, 40% were below the poverty line. This means that despite having at least one salary, this income was not enough to cover the family’s basic needs.
Of children and adolescents in compulsory education age (4 to 17 years of age), 96.9%were in school, most of them attending public schools. For the non-compulsory segment, this percentage drops to 14.5%.
The incidence of poverty drops significantly if the head of the household completed his or her secondary education. However, one out of every six households headed by a person with university education was below the poverty line.
The actions undertaken by the national government to care for children and adolescents implied a budgetary effort of 3.6% of GDP in 2020, 12.7% of total expenditure.
Public policy aimed at improving the general conditions of the population, which also have an impact on this segment, required an additional 2.4%.
State efforts were insufficient to substantially improve the living conditions of this age group, and it is necessary to pay more attention to children and adolescents to guarantee their access to basic rights.

ANALYSIS OF NATIONAL GOVERNMENT BUDGET EXECUTION – JUNE 2020

by Nicolas Perez | Jul 15, 2020 | Budget Execution

During the first half of the year, the national government recorded a primary deficit of AR$911.12 billion due to the increase in expenditures and the decrease in revenues, both conditioned by the health crisis. his deficit was financed with profits from the Central Bank of Argentina.
In the first half of the year, primary expenditures increased 22.3% YoY in real terms. This variation is almost entirely explained by the fiscal measures adopted by the national government within the framework of the COVID-19 emergency and the social isolation measures. Meanwhile, given the year-on-year drop in debt interest (-38.7% YoY), the increase in total expenditures had a more moderate expansion of 0.9% YoY.
The programs implemented to face the health challenge implied an expenditure of around AR$449.73 billion, without which primary expenditure would have grown by 3.2% in real terms compared to the first half of the previous year.
Through twelve amendments, the initial Budget for the fiscal year increased by AR$845.41 billion, 67.6% of which was allocated to reinforce social benefits.
In June, pensions and retirement benefits fell in real terms for the first time in the semester (1.4%), but supplementary bonuses caused lower pensions to increase 11.7% above inflation.
The 71.8% drop in expenditure on housing and urban development was partly offset by the increase in expenditures on Potable Water and Sewerage, which rose 142.0% YoY, and on Financial Assistance for the Construction of Emergency Modular Hospitals, within the framework of COVID-19 ($4.38 billion).