The Argentine Federation of Travel and Tourism Business Associations – FAEVYT – expressed itself through a statement on the bill sent by the Executive Branch that includes the creation of a 30% tax on the purchase of foreign currencies; to the acquisition of services abroad contracted through travel and tourism agencies of the country and to land, air and water transport services, of passengers destined outside Argentina:
“We understand the crisis that is going through the country but travel agencies are part of the solution, not the problem. We are the main marketing channel of tourism and a fundamental driver of the economy that provides jobs for thousands of Argentines. services provided by the agencies in the tax means, neither more nor less, that putting those sources of work at risk, closing the path to opportunities for growth and generating genuine foreign exchange for the country. ”
“We accompany the project in general but to include travel agencies means a setback in the spirit of the initiative, because it threatens the growth of the economy by hitting the main driving force of tourism that are travel and tourism agencies.”
“We must bear in mind that this measure breaks the necessary balance between inbound and outbound tourism, so it will have a direct impact on national tourism activity, as well as negatively influencing the flow of international air routes that would significantly reduce the reception of Argentines so they would no longer be profitable. The shrinking of our market will generate unemployment and lower consumption, achieving an opposite effect to that sought by the project. If the Argentine agencies do not sell, there is also less tax collection. Reducing connectivity is putting at risk the fourth exporting complex in the country and the first in services “.
“We must not lose sight of the fact that encompassing all the expenses generated abroad in the tourism concept is a mistake. The reality is that 75% of foreign currency expenses abroad correspond to non-tourist products and services, and not to the tourism services that are contracted with the travel agencies that represents only 25% and that as a counterpart generate jobs and flow of foreign visitors “.
“The concrete proposal is that sales for services abroad contracted through Argentine travel agencies and the means of transport that have operations in our country are exempted from this tax, in order to take care of the work of thousands of Argentines and continue to boost an industry that needs to grow so that the country’s economy is reactivated”.