The government adjusts price controls to avoid “abusive maneuvers” in foreign trade operations

The government adjusts reference price controls for foreign trade operations to avoid the under-invoicing of exports or the over-invoicing of imports, in a context of limiting the use of foreign exchange at official prices and of limited reserves.

According to AFIP, the General Directorate of Customs (DGA) established “Criteria values” for importing radiators for central heating. “Criteria values ​​constitute a tool which makes it possible to detect abusive maneuvers in foreign trade such as under-invoicing or over-invoicing of imports,” they explained from the tax agency.

Strictly speaking, General Resolution 4952, which was published on Monday in the Official Journal, defined the “criteria values” for the import of radiators for non-electric central heating and for those that are bimetallic with an aluminum outer surface. and a steel core.

During Mauricio Macri’s tenure, the number of criteria prices was reduced by 20% and reached the 19,400 currently in force.

Criteria values ​​for central heating radiators have been defined for imports of China, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Iran, Romania, Turkey, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, France, Italy, Holland, Portugal and Germany.

As explained at Infobae According to customs sources, “criteria values” are a common tool for controlling foreign trade operations. In recent years, during the tenure of Mauricio Macri, the amount of the criteria prices has been reduced by 20% and reached the 19,400 currently in force. “Little by little, they are recovering and work is underway to include new products», They anticipated.

In the case of imports, the maneuvers that AFIP tries to avoid are both under-invoicing as over-invoicing. For the first case, it would be companies that they seek to pay less tariffs. For the second, get more dollars allowed at the official price what they really need to make the purchase abroad.

The “criterion values” are added to the “reference values” for different products fixed by customs, how much specifically for exports. “These constitute a first control instrument to identify abusive maneuvers in foreign trade which allow customs to detect irregularities”, they continued within AFIP.

“In 2020, the DGA’s investigations made it possible to identify and report more than 2,800 abusive maneuvers in foreign trade operations. The irregularities detected exceed 330 million dollars in terms of over-invoicing and under-invoicing of imports, and under-invoicing of exports, ”they commented. The affected products include raw materials, vehicles and motorcycles, among others.

For imports, the maneuvers that AFIP tries to avoid are both under-invoicing (companies looking to pay less tariffs) and over-invoicing (to get more authorized dollars at the official price).

The detection of such a maneuver does not necessarily imply, they assured, the configuration of a crime. “These are control tools with control prices to verify that invoicing complies with this criterion value. In the event of a discrepancy, an investigation is opened which may lead to a fine or complaints., but it’s not a crime in itself“, They explained.

Recently, customs had established benchmark prices for the export of cuts of beef. The measure, at the time, coincided with the implementation of the agreement reached by the government with cold rooms, butchers and supermarkets for offer in gondolas eight cuts at “popular prices”.

The benchmark prices for cuts of meat include ten pieces, all weighing less than 5 kilograms. The countries of destination for beef exports for which the reference prices have been established are China, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea, Philippines and Taiwan.

Customs began last year to establish benchmarks for the exports of blueberries, milk powder, onions, potatoes, raisins and seabass. He also did this for pieces of pork intended for China, South Korea, Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand.

As Infobae has pointed out, there is currently a tension between the importing private sector and the government over the flow of permits to make purchases abroad with foreign currency at the official price. Different business chambers ensure that the authorizations are processed slowly, that they do not cover the total amount required by these companies and that in the case of industries that need inputs, this has an impact on the production rate.

Recently, customs established benchmark prices for the export of cuts of beef, pork, blueberries, powdered milk, onions, potatoes, raisins and sea bass.

Recently the Chamber of Commerce has warned the government that the difficulty of accessing all the imported inputs they need to produce is not only hampering the ability to recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but also jeopardizes business continuity.

By a letter addressed to the Minister of Productive Development, Matias Kulfas, the entity warned that “if there are no quick fixes regarding the import restrictions, the continuity of many companies is seriously threatened ”.

From Industry Secretary defend oneself and ensure that “In 2020, 93.5% of SIMIs presented were authorized and it can be seen that out of the total non-automatic licenses presented, 80% were approved within 48 hours of submission”They asserted. And that the balance that remains unapproved contains “loading errors, inconsistencies and missing information” or “not to exceed the specific controls that exist to ensure predictability and security in the market”.

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