The unicameral Córdoba Legislature approved a resolution to demand university funding from the Nation without clarifying the origin of the resources. The bill calls for increased national funds without defining funding sources, which threatens fiscal balance in the short and medium term. The measure, which seeks to shift responsibilities, was approved with 59 votes in favor and three abstentions.
Legislator Walter Nostrala stated that "there can't be university education if we don't have education at home. In Córdoba we have Law 9070 that obliges the government to allocate 35% of the budget to education. In Córdoba this doesn't happen; last year, 23.8% was executed."
This demonstrates that the province not only doesn't lack resources to finance education, but also doesn't properly execute those already allocated for this purpose.
Transferring costs without a fiscal plan is political irresponsibility
The argument of supporting national universities sounds noble in speeches, but fails by not providing concrete funding mechanisms. The resolution doesn't include any proposal for reform in revenue sharing, taxes, or reassignment of Córdoba's budget. This reveals a demagogic narrative that holds the Nation responsible and absolves the provinces of their obligations.
It is concerning to demand national funds without defining where they will come from. In this sense, the proposal implies increasing public spending without a legitimate funding source. This clearly aims to destabilize the sound national public accounts, since an increase in spending without funding or budget reassignment would cause a deficit.
The Córdoba Legislature doesn't consider the danger that its proposal could pose to the National Treasury. Thus, the bill proposes a progressive increase in the university budget until reaching 1.5% of GDP by 2031. This seeks to guarantee funds adjusted according to CPI variations, in yet another act of fiscal demagoguery by the political class.
