

Politics in Argentina

Knock, knock

The government unleashes the tax agency against its opponents

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Readers' comments



The Kirchner administration has been tolerating all kinds of critics, mocks and even insults from the opposition (both politicians and media) without even picking up the glove.
It is inaccurate to affirm that the right of freedom of expression is subject to limitations in Argentina.
You can ask Mr. Lanata how he is able to ridicule the presidential figure every single sunday in his tv show.
You can also ask the major argentine news papers (Clarin & La Nacion) how they can fill their pages with manipulated news which only seek to undermine the government's credibility.
The freedom of speech and the right to communicate one's opinion is at its highest level.

guest-isoseoe in reply to ENRIQUE75

So, are you saying the what the note says is a lie? Becuase, if it is true.. how can then be the freedom of speach at the highest level if the goverment takes actions (ilegal or legal) just becuase they oppose the goverment?
Companies have a pay a fine because they publish data? Data that should be produced by the Indec but the failed to do so?

I also know the the low moral bar they apply with the employees at the Indec, where staff is abused, discriminated, fired with no reason, where the chief goes around with a gun screaming at people. The only thing that seems to be at the highest level in the Argentine goverment is corruption.

jeffz2012 in reply to guest-isoseoe

do not moan
e.g. the only difference between Argentina and US, is that in US corruption (especially corporation-induced) is legal (lobbying)
EU is not much better
banksters and politicos screwed up economies
how many are in jail so far?
well ... what does that tell us?

Mad__Hatter in reply to jeffz2012

So, because they do it, it is OK for Argentina's politicians to do it too? The point of the note is to comment how the Argentinian government uses the tax agency to keep down any resistance or not favourable comments... can you argue those facts? Is that the freedom os speech Ms. Fernandez de Kirchner spoke about? Maybe its "you can say anything you want, but be ready for the consequences". If so... I fear to think what would be the opposite.

jeffz2012 in reply to Mad__Hatter

not going to quarrel with most of what you said, but I hate these "holier than thou" types pointing fingers at someone, at the same time doing exactly same crap ... and even making it legal, so they can have a good night sleep
frikkin' double standards

Mad__Hatter in reply to jeffz2012

I'm not "holier than thou" than no one, just commenting that regardless that the US has legalized corruption, doesn't make it "right", or that because of that, everyone can do it too... so in US the corrupted politicians are free, so what? Let the corrupted politician around the world be free as well?

Not pointing fingers at no one, just saying that this particular case is wrong (as well as ALL other similar cases are wrong).
Doesn't give me any better sleep, tho...

NOTE: I get your point, people saying, "yeah sure, but US does it, so why can't be do it too?" And that's not a fair argument.

jeffz2012 in reply to Mad__Hatter

If you call "bribery" a "lobbying" it is still a bribery just called differently.
If our "lantern of freedom and democracy" cannot keep up to their own "higher" standards first, it stinks.

What country you are from?

UK? If yes, it could take lifetimes of both of us to shovel sh..t in Our backyard...

France? I like this one. Accusing Turks about their misdeeds with Azers (not that Turks are so innocent), yet I have not heard the apologizing for being second, or third "contender" to a grand prize (number-wise) of Holocaust "competition" during last "crazy-frenzy" in Europe (100K French and refugee Jews delivered by French duly to German death camps)
I could go on.

Yes, you are "holier than thou", if you do not clean your own backyard before pointing fingers.

Everyone has "skeletons in a closet" ... everyone!
So lets not look at others so readily.

Mad__Hatter in reply to jeffz2012

I'm not pointing fingers at anyone. And no one is "holier than thou".
Also, nationality should not become a subject here, because the issue is using the government institutions to supress free thinking and speech.
Surely the US have legalized corruption, as well as many others have. Argentina surely did, deep to the roots of its government.
No one is a saint here.

Matias Garcia

Of Course, the brtish will teach about democracy, when they still have a queen, and they have prime ministers that are involve with media's to help their political elections like David Cameron with the "Murdoch's Case" LOL
the british media's are controlled by the capital which holds shares in media companies...
Media does not tell the truth, just says what their shareholders want to make you hear...

Mad__Hatter in reply to Matias Garcia

So? Who's the rightest one to speak? EVERYONE bends to their interests. Therefore, no one is the rightest one to speak.

Any solutions on your side?
It's fun to say "shut up, you're not good", but you're missing the "so XXXXXXX should be the solution" part.

Matias Garcia

its interesting how "The british economist tries to disqualify the argentine government when they supported the european economic model, and just look where they are...
the typical european model is to disqualify the other and lie about themself...
even more, jsut look at it...the same UK that says they are a democracy, still has a queen, and worst, all prime ministers from the UK had accepted that they talked with medias before elections to support thir political campaing...
David Cameron is even involved in the "murdoch's Case" my god and they talk about media's democracy...hypocrites..

Gigle in reply to Matias Garcia

What on Earth are you even talking about? The British monarch has not had any real power in about a century, every politician with anything remotely resembling intelligence tries to win the backing a newspapers and in the case of Murdoch that involves widespread spying on people to get stories. Funny, I'm having trouble seeing how you can possibly compare a newsgroup that spies on people to a newspaper that revealed some embarrassing facts. That's a bit like Chomsky trying to compare Chavez openly going after a judge he didn't like to Obama asking for guarantees that Bradley Manning was being treated well.


The only thing that I would change from the article is the last paragraph where the author says CFK will take the lessons from Oscar Benavides.

She is actually taking the lessons from Gral. Peron who went a step further. His phrase was "A los amigos todo, a los enemigos ni justicia" or "For my Friends everything. For my Enemies not even justice". It summarizes the whole Peronist philosophy and how destructive it can be.

The Economist Reader

if this is going towards dictatorship - then great!
you loved the right-wing rulings of dictatorships some years ago, right?
back then they were fully supported by The Economist and its readers!
when it is right-wing dictatorship - it is freedom (for richmen)
when it is left-wing ruling - it is a horrible dictatorship



unfortunately the article is very acurate. This government is blatantly usiting the state power to cover up all the dirty and corrupt business that its officials and friends do on a regular basis (including the vice president), and at the same time, using its power to silence and harrass any of its critics, either politicians, businesses or ordinary people...very sad but not surprising after knowing them for over 8 years in power..


Unfortunately, it is much worse than accounted for in the article: With the spread in currency exchance rates, 4.5 for a dollar oficially, 6.9 unofficially, depending on your affinity with the government, you can achieve more than 45% MORE for your dollars. Just imagine how all-in-white exporters are sufferering from this. Eventually, it will lead to a wipe out.


There's no veracity here. It's all about suspiciouns. This article is a couple of fallacies mixed in one post. Dictatorship? You don't know what you're talking about.
The truth is that some people have been avoiding taxes for a long time and the government have covered them. But since 2003 Things have changed. Nowadays Upper class can't manipulate the economy and can't keep the classes below them while using them to gain even more wealth and power.

mcgannas in reply to Argento.

As a victim of said persecution I can undoubtly say it is a very acurate accusation. I was fined for buying dollars in 2010. I actually bought them at the airport, on my way to my aunt's funeral. Nothing much. A few hundreds to support my stay while I took care of family business. I was not aware that in doing so I was breaking some law. On my way back I started working for a political opponent. I suppose that was the law I broke?
As I was growing up I saw my father sent to jail for political reasons, and I also saw the military dictatorship use a few State organizations to persecute him. Thirty years have gone by and not much seems to have changed.


Argentine people..., be prepared for the worst !!!
It will not get any better. Further obscure withdrawls from your pockets will at once spark a public reaction of uncommesural consequences. Would not think of CFK around by yearend...

Tigre del Sarandi

The article only shows part of the real disaster that this government is doing in our country. No economic plan, no plan at all for anything, 3 people deciding every matter of a whole country. The farmland is our main resuorce, and now the government is telling each farmer what they have to produce!!! The only thing I do not understand is why we cannot organize and put a stop to this group of no brain governors! Sorry for being so hard, but believe that this is whats happening.


God! This article isn't objective! It's polluted by a political trend which tries to generate inestability to our government and our country. It's clearly disinformation. Kirchner Government is highly regarded and WIDELY accepted in Argentina. Most of us prefer CFK government instead of that neoliberal one which brings us poverty, hungry and US/Europe domination. That Neoliberal Government supported by YOU... THE ECONOMIST.

Walker Rowe in reply to Argento.

The government is not widely supported by the CGT labor union anymore and its 8 million members who have broken up and withdrawn their support. This should certainly impact the next legislative elections in 2013.

Pilar Varas

Completely truth about everything. One thing that I didn't know and surprise me was the fact that she had used a law made by a dictator, given the fact that she had put another one to control the media press, using as a reason that the older one was made by a dictator.
(I'm Argentinian)

Unasur in reply to Pilar Varas

"she had used a law made by a dictator"

You will be very surprised if you know how many laws made by dictatorship are been used these years.

In 1984, Alfonsin´s government gave legal status to every law made by the dictatorship.


Superb article, and, as an Argentinian, i can attest this is a fair description of the political reality on the country. In fact, is even worse - the prosecution of private analysts computing inflation indexes is so bad that most have resorted to publish them using Congress members as a proxy.

Carlos Gabriel

Even though the Arg. government says that they are favor of human rights, they are one step behind to became a dictatorship.

They are prosecuting innocent people who talk against them. If a person was an adult in the 70s, and he/she worked in the security forces, the person might be accused for crimes against humanity. If they cannot prove it, they will use the tax agency.


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