Federico Sturzenegger, Minister of Deregulation, presented Decree 149/25 this Wednesday in the Official Gazette. The new measure prohibits mandatory contributions to business chambers for non-affiliated companies.
The decree prevents collective labor agreements from including forced contributions to business chambers if companies are not affiliated. Federico Sturzenegger described it as a step toward eliminating the privileges of the "caste" of businesses.
Elimination of privileges
Collective agreements, which originally regulated wages, began to include contributions unrelated to wage negotiation. These charges funded business associations and other purposes. This decree puts an end to that practice.
Sturzenegger stated that this change eliminates the system of "private taxes" that affected companies without their consent.
With this measure, companies are freed from burdens that, in the end, were passed on to consumers. In sectors like commerce, these contributions added up to 6 billion pesos per month.
Companies will no longer pay mandatory contributions to business chambers.
The savings caused can be invested in the business or passed on to the consumer.
Prices will not increase due to these hidden costs.
An orderly transition
The decree grants a 90-day period for chambers to adapt. Sturzenegger assured that the transition will be gradual and will allow chambers to offer voluntary services for companies.
The Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo, welcomed the measure, which will reduce costs and benefit both companies and consumers.
Luis Caputo ministro de Economía
Support from companies
The measure arises from complaints by companies and businesses, expressed through the Report Bureaucracy system. Sturzenegger thanked the Argentine Chamber of Distributors and Wholesale Self-Service for being pioneers in claiming against these charges.
"With this measure, we return to companies, consumers, and workers the money that was previously taken from them compulsorily," concluded Sturzenegger.
