Nicolas Perez - Oficina de Presupuesto del Congreso

FISCAL IMPACT OF BILL CD-37-2022 ON MEDICAL-ASSISTANCE PROCEDURES FOR THE CARE OF PREGNANT PERSONS IN THE EVENT OF PERINATAL DEATH

by Nicolas Perez | May 29, 2023 | Cost Estimates

The purpose of Bill CD-37-2022 is to establish standardized protocols for the care of pregnant persons and their families in the event of perinatal death, to provide support and care during the process of acceptance of the loss, and to provide information on therapeutic options and subsequent procedures and consultations thus ensuring professional support and informed decision making.

The implementation of the actions provided for in the Bill would not entail a significant increase in costs since they would be implemented within the scope of existing institutions and programs, which could involve the reallocation of budget appropriations.

GREEN AGENDA AT ASAP’S ANNUAL MEETING

by Nicolas Perez | May 22, 2023 | Activities

Fiscal responsibility, sustainability of public accounts, clean energies, achievements, and challenges in 40 years of democracy were the main topics of the 37th seminar of the Argentine Association of Public Budget (ASAP), which on this occasion was organized jointly with the government of the province of Mendoza.

The seminar, which took place between May 16 and 19 in the city of Mendoza, brought together national and international experts in the different topics addressed and officials from different branches and levels of government.

María Eugenia David Du Mutel de Pierrepont, Director of Studies, Analysis and Evaluation of the Argentine Congressional Budget Office, participated in the third day of the event, which included discussions on green financial management, sustainable public finances and planning and budgeting for sustainable development.

“Planning is key for economic growth compatible with environmental care and social welfare. In Argentina it has been difficult for governments to agree on a long-term plan, one that transcends a government term,” said de Pierrepont, also OPC Interim General Director.

“Without this planning, the path towards sustainable development has been traced on the basis of isolated, uncoordinated and, in many cases, unsustainable actions over time. This is one of the challenges that our country faces today,” she stressed.

RESEARCH PAPER: BUDGET IDENTIFICATION OF CLIMATE CHANGE

by Nicolas Perez | May 22, 2023 | Other Publications

Climate change budget tagging is being used in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua, and a first technical approach was made in Argentina in 2022. This tool helps to track spending, articulate policies with resource allocation and design and monitor the issuance of green bonds.

There are different methodological proposals in the world and some of them could be a substantive complement to the traditional budget.
There is no global consensus on the definition of revenues and expenditures related to the environment and climate, especially in terms of budget classifiers.
The IDB proposes to assess the contribution to “mitigation” or “adaptation” of five sectors: energy, environment, agriculture, transportation, and risk management.
Indonesia was the first country to use budget tagging as a basis for issuing a sovereign green bond.
France is required to report to the Legislative Branch on the impact of the budget on climate change and is the only one to tag expenditures with negative environmental impact.

RESEARCH PAPER: BUDGET IDENTIFICATION OF CLIMATE CHANGE

PUBLIC DEBT OPERATIONS – APRIL 2023

by Nicolas Perez | May 17, 2023 | Public Debt Operations

Government securities for a total of ARS1,425.852 billion were placed in two auctions.
Amortizations for USD2.665 billion were paid to the IMF.
There were net placements of BCRA (Central Bank) Temporary Advances for ARS100 billion, the stock increased to ARS3.02 trillion.
Between May and December, maturities are estimated for the equivalent of USD74.104 billion.

NEW MONITORS: TAX REVENUE, ENERGY SUBSIDIES AND PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYMENT

by Nicolas Perez | May 17, 2023 | Activities

The Argentine Congressional Budget Office is working on the release of three new monitors to facilitate the dissemination of data and monitoring of the national budget execution in key areas.

The first one is on tax revenue, which will provide information on the revenues of the National Government, with the respective disaggregation of sources.

Another of these interactive platforms is on energy subsidies, useful for monitoring funds allocated to subsidize energy services and hydrocarbon production.

The third monitor will have information on the evolution of employment in the National Non-Financial Public Sector, with data for each year during the last decade.

With the purpose of facilitating access to this tool, the OPC organized virtual workshops to train parliamentary advisors in the use of the three monitors already available on its website.

The first of these meetings, scheduled for Monday, May 22 at 2 p.m., will focus on the monitor “Budgetary actions for children and adolescents”. On May 30, it will be on the use of “Public debt indicators” and on June 5 it will be the turn of “Gender-responsive budgeting”.

ANALYSIS OF NATIONAL GOVERNMENT BUDGET EXECUTION – APRIL 2023

by Nicolas Perez | May 16, 2023 | Budget Execution

As a result of a cut in public spending and despite a decrease in total revenues, during the first four months of the year, the financial and primary deficits of the National Government fell by 2.2% and 9.3% in real terms, respectively, compared to the same period of the previous year.

Revenues contracted 9.1% and total expenditures fell 7.6% in real terms.
The primary result was negative ARS1,035.318 billion, which implied a decrease of 9.3% YoY compared to the deficit recorded a year earlier.
Primary expenditure fell by 9.2%, with the most pronounced decrease in family allowances (29.9%), energy subsidies (29.5% YoY) and capital expenditures (26.0% YoY).
On the other hand, debt interest grew 9.1% YoY, personnel expenses 9.2% YoY, transportation subsidies 24.8% YoY and non-contributory pensions 9.3% YoY.
Expenditures on pensions contracted 2.5%. Since January 2022, pension benefits rose 2.4% for those who receive bonuses and fell 18.4% for those who do not.
Expenditure execution is equivalent to 27% of the appropriation, 11.8 percentage points lower than that of the previous year.
Food Policy and Potenciar Trabajo showed the highest level of execution: 47.0% and 40.5%, respectively.
On the other hand, capital transfers to State-owned enterprises and to Trust Funds for the execution of works accounted for 17.9% and 19.6%, respectively.