Salaries lost purchasing power against inflation in September, a situation that had not occurred for a year, according to a report by the Congressional Budget Office. The work was done based on data from tax collection last month, which revealed a drop of 0.7% year-on-year in social security resources adjusted for inflation.
#OPCReports📄 Analysis of National Tax Collection – September 2022
➡️Tax collection amounted to $2,127,181 million in September 2022, a growth of 117.9% year-on-year. Adjusted for inflation, it increased 19% y/y.https://t.co/LMmUsq5PEp pic.twitter.com/vfd3SQKD4L
— Congressional Budget Office (@OPC_ARG) October 18, 2022
The fall in the purchasing power of wages is noted in different sectoral reports that show a decrease in consumption levels due to the rise in prices. In fact, a report from the Argentine Confederation of Medium-sized Enterprises (CAME) indicated that Mother’s Day sales suffered a 4.7% drop compared to 2021.
Based on this situation, the national government is considering launching a series of measures to encourage consumption and contain prices. On the one hand, the Secretary of Commerce in charge of Matías Tombolini is working on the implementation of a plan called “Fair Price”, by which a set of food and basic necessities will have the price printed on the container.
To that end, a round of negotiations began with some 25 consumer product companies to define the implementation mechanism. The intention is to freeze the price of between 1,200 and 1,500 products for at least 90 days as a way to curb inflationary expectations. Although in the first instance the intention is that “Fair Price” coexists with “Careful Prices”, there are some doubts about the way in which they will complement each other.
On the other hand, the Government will promote a program of 30 installments for the acquisition of televisions, cell phones and air conditioners taking advantage of the start of the World Cup.