After the controversy that arose with the announcement by the governor of La Rioja, Ricardo Quintela, to use
quasi-currencies
to pay employees' salaries,
Tucumán
rejected that financial tool.
The local president, Osvaldo Jaldo, assured that his broadcast "harms the people" and distanced himself from his Rioja colleague: he stressed that each jurisdiction must function with its own funds, without depending on funds from the national State.
"The province has to function budgetarily with what corresponds to it by law, with what is collected in the province's Revenue, and that
we do not have to be 'Dependent Nation' and go every month to ask for resources to pay salaries
," he also expressed. Peronist Jaldo, at a press conference.
It was a first point of distance with Quintela, who at the end of last week responded to a police strike and complaints from various sectors with criticism of Javier Milei for an alleged debt of more than 9 billion pesos.
This Thursday, Jaldo also highlighted that the "austerity" political guidelines of his administration are bearing fruit to "have balanced finances" and without the need to issue a new currency that favors the escalation of inflation.
"Since we took charge on October 29, we began to take measures because we envisioned an economic and financial outlook with many dark clouds. Therefore, we began to make decisions in the three branches of government, which have to do with an administration with austerity, to seek balance and fiscal surplus, so that the province functions with resources that are provincial," he argued.
Ricardo Quintela achieved approval of his quasi-currency project for La Rioja.
In that sense, Jaldo maintained that
the quasi-currency "harms people a lot"
and that the most important thing is to accommodate it with the budget that the province has at its disposal.
It was that other point of unchecking with Quintela.
"The quasi-currency arises out of necessity, but it hurts people a lot, since it suffers a discount, the face value of the bill is not paid or taken into account," he insisted on his distance from this type of projects.
Jaldo is the first Peronist governor who came out to show his differences with the initiative that is advancing in La Rioja.
In the same line as Jaldo, from another political perspective, the governor of Mendoza was in recent days.
Alfredo Cornejo assured that adding a quasi-currency
"is not a good solution"
because he remembered the bad memory of using them in the past.
"There are provinces that have made their efforts to achieve fiscal balance, like Mendoza, which has been in balance for seven years, which has 10% fewer public employees, which has a very robust productive sector," commented the radical leader.
Video
The march occurred this Friday afternoon.
The governor, meanwhile, demands a debt from Milei.
In addition, he warned that whether or not it is a crime to issue a quasi-currency, "it is something that Justice must define because in some way it is clearly prohibited by the Constitution."
Cornejo advised Quintela to "adjust his situation to the national fiscal program, essential to reevaluate our currency, which is the peso and not the bond or a quasi-currency."
Javier Milei had already celebrated with special irony the implementation of a provincial currency, as an example of "free competition."
However, as a postscript, he stressed that - unlike what happened in 2002 - the national State will not come to their rescue.
Bocade, the quasi-currency of La Rioja
Despite criticism, the Legislature of La Rioja approved on Wednesday by a large majority the issuance of a quasi-currency, called Bocade, which will be used to pay the salaries of public employees.
The ruling party's project was sanctioned in the Extraordinary Session number 16 of the 138th legislative period.
The bonus can be used to pay 30% of the salaries of public workers.
The idea arose after the crisis with the provincial security forces and after a "salary recomposition" agreement with the local Police, which sent a project to the provincial Legislature to create "its own currency" for the district.