The Government must publish in the next few hours in the Official Gazette a new decree modifying decree 268/2024 of last Thursday in relation to the $70,000 bonus for minimum salaries.
The new decree is necessary because, in order for
the $70,000 bonus to be maintained,
it is necessary to modify the ceiling of $204,445
for minimum-income retirees set in decree 268/2024.
Thus,
with the increase of 27.35%, the minimum asset will rise in April from $134,445 to $171,216.
And with the $70,000 bonus,
the total income will be $241,216, compared to the “capped” $204,445 in March
.
Since the bonus is not increased,
the real pocket increase will ultimately be 18%
(rising from $204,445 to $241,216) as
Clarín
anticipated in Sunday's edition.
On the other hand, the complexity of Monday's DNU 274/2024 on retirements and pensions has an explanation: the so-called
junction
between the formula that ceases to exist and the new one.
The thing is that both when it was executed by Mauricio Macri in 2018 and Alberto Fernández in 2020,
they were challenged in court
, appealed by the ANSeS, and
are still awaiting the ruling of the Supreme Court.
That is why
the DNU postpones the connection to the month of June
.
The thing is that if it were done in April, the increase next month would not be 27.35% (12.5% plus 13.2% for the February CPI) but 36.6% (January + February CPI) that the March increase already granted takes into account the variables from October to December.
Or it should be 41.5% (25% + 13.2%) if the smaller increase in December is incorporated in relation to that month's inflation plus February inflation.
To avoid giving 36.6% or 41.5% in April,
the DNU postpones the connection until June
because it says that “for the purposes of the transition, for the determination of the mobility corresponding to the month of June 2024, it will be “the formula in force on the date of issuance of this document is applicable” (that of Alberto Fernández).
And until then there will be
increases on account
that would be granted in April (12.5% + 13.2%) and determined in May (according to March CPI) and in June, according to April CPI, but
that month the value that will be applied will be applied. be greater between what has been granted since April and the result of Alberto Fernández's formula.
Only in July will the new formula be applied according to May inflation
and thus in the following months
according to the evolution of inflation from 2 months ago.
And there is no additional increase if wages or the economy grow.
In this way,
at the time of the connection between the two formulas there will be no harm to the retiree in the second quarter
– which could give rise to
legal claims
– in relation to if the connection were made in April.
All this complexity does not nullify the fact that
the loss of assets occurs at the beginning, in April and not in June
, because next month's increase recognizes only 12.5% for January and not the 20.6% of inflation and even less 25% for January inflation plus the December loss.
For this reason,
the opposition questions that the April increase will only be 12.5% for January and not 20.6% or 25%.
The evolution of the minimum assets will depend on
whether or not the current bonus of $70,000, as happened in April when it remains unchanged as in March,
will have additional adjustments.
In April,
retirees who collect the bonus have an increase of 18% versus 27.35% for the rest
.
In this way, if it is not updated for inflation, the bonus becomes liquid because it loses weight in the retiree's total income.
NE