The new portal reveals the trap of using gross income to charge municipal fees and the revenue-hungry voracity of the mayors
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Javier Milei's government launched the Tax Transparency Portal to expose all the tax voracity of each municipality throughout the country. The tool promoted by Minister Luis Caputo seeks to ensure that citizens know what they really pay in each daily purchase they make. The central objective is to put an end to hidden fees that increase prices and finance the excessive spending of local politics.
The trap of Gross Income
Mayors argue that they technically do not collect provincial taxes but rather compensatory fees for inspection and security services. However, the trap lies in the fact that they use gross income as the tax base, transforming the fee into a hidden sales tax. This generates double taxation that punishes the total billing of companies regardless of whether they received the municipal service or not.
City of Córdoba under Peronist management harshly punishes banking activity with a 5% fee calculated on each account. At the opposite extreme is the administration of Bell Ville with a 3% rate showing that it is possible to govern with greater austerity. The contrast between both models makes it clear that tax pressure is a political decision to sustain bureaucratic structures.
Cuadro comparativo: Tasa de Inspección, Seguridad e Higiene para Industrias (izquierda) e Hipermercados (derecha)
The attack against capital is also reflected in supermarkets where Río Cuarto imposes a confiscatory 3.40% fee on income. Villa María adds to the pressure on consumption with 2.50% directly affecting the pockets of residents throughout the productive area. These excessive rates impact the prices of the basic basket and hit the purchasing power of working families.
Political excuses in the face of data
The transparency initiative unleashed widespread panic among mayors who see their coffers threatened by the exposure of data. Guillermo de Rivas from Río Cuarto described the portal as a political offensive, excusing himself by claiming that the Nation withdrew from basic functions. Peronism is trying to hide its administrative inefficiency by blaming the national government for an alleged abandonment of responsibilities.
Cuadro comparativo: Tasa de Inspección, Seguridad e Higiene para entidades financieras
Local leaders are trying to justify the tax plundering by claiming that they must cover services that the national State stopped financing. However, the Casa Rosada responds that macroeconomic order requires austerity and not continuing to suffocate the private sector with insane fees. The resistance to reducing local public spending shows that the priority of these administrations is to maintain clientelism and not general well-being.
The exception was Mayor Juan Manuel Moroni from Bell Ville, who celebrated transparency as a sign of hope for the country. The local leader reaffirmed his commitment to lowering taxes by announcing the elimination of permits for the transport of livestock in the area. His administration shows that validating an austere and efficient management model is possible without plundering the local productive private sector.
Cuadro comparativo: Tasa de Inspección, Seguridad e Higiene para actividades primarias.
