Gustavo Melella defended an economic system based on defrauding Argentinians with high tariffs and high prices
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The governor of Tierra del Fuego, Gustavo Melella, expressed his "deep concern" following the announcement by the Government of Javier Milei to eliminate import tariffs on cell phones and significantly reduce internal taxes on electronic products like televisions and air conditioners.
In a statement, the provincial leader described the measure as a "very hard blow for the Tierra del Fuego industry" and attributed the decision to alleged demands from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), something completely false.
For years, Tierra del Fuego has maintained an industrial promotion regime that provides protection to a small group of assemblers through high tariffs that artificially increase the cost of products for millions of Argentines.
El gobernador de Tierra del Fuego, Gustavo Melella.
The defense of this scheme, presented by the governor as a symbol of "employment, sovereignty, and technological development," hides a much more complex and costly reality.
The Fuegian electronic "industry" is not such in the strict sense of the term. The plants located in the southern province do not produce technology but rather assemble imported components with little local added value.
The result is that a cell phone, a television, or an air conditioner can cost up to twice as much in Argentina compared to other countries in the region. This model has not contributed to national technological development but has consolidated a system of privileges financed by the pockets of Argentine consumers.
Javier Milei, presidente de Argentina.
Far from being an attack on sovereignty, as Melella suggests, the decision by Javier Milei's government seeks to deregulate and eliminate taxes that for years increased the cost of access to essential goods. Opening the market will allow for greater competition, better prices, and relief for the pockets of millions of families who, for example, had to go into debt to upgrade a cell phone or buy an air conditioner.
"We will redouble our efforts in defense of our industry against this new onslaught," expressed the governor, in defense of a model based on scamming Argentines to protect a supposed "national industry."
The reduction of tariffs decreed by Milei's Government is a necessary step toward a freer economy, fairer, and, above all, more beneficial for all Argentines.
