The Argentine government has decided to liquidate the Federal Office of Public Revenue (AFIP) and replace it with a new “simplified” Agency for Duties and Customs Control. This decision provides for the reduction of a third of the employees of the tax service, informs Buenos Aires Times.
At a press conference, the representative of the Argentine president, Manuel Adorni, said that now every Argentine will manage his property independently without the intervention of government officials. He emphasized that there will no longer be an opportunity for “bureaucrats to dictate to Argentines what to do with their property.”
The press secretary also noted that AFIP has long functioned as a political tool and was used for “immoral persecution” of citizens. He declared that the era of “fiscal greed” in Argentina was over. Adorni also recalled the words of President Javier Millay, who emphasized that libertarianism is based on the principle of non-aggression and the protection of life, property and freedom of every person.
The closure of AFIP, according to the president’s administration, was necessary to eliminate excessive bureaucracy that was holding back the economic and commercial freedom of Argentines. About 3,000 employees will be fired because they were hired in violation of the law. This will save 6.4 billion pesos per year (approximately $6.5 million). The new agency will retain AFIP’s core functions, including tax collection oversight and customs control.
