"What you have to ask us is to reduce spending, because every expense we reduce is a tax that we charge less to society as a whole," said the Minister of Deregulation and State Transformation, Federico Sturzenegger.

Argentina's Minister for Deregulation and State Transformation, Federico Sturzenegger, has called on business leaders not to ask the government to lower taxes, but to encourage it to "cut spending," as this is the path advocated by the country's president, Javier Milei.

This was his statement during his speech at an economic forum on Friday, where he explained that if taxes are lowered and spending remains the same, the State is obliged to collect that amount from someone.

"What you have to ask us is to reduce spending, because every expense we reduce is a tax that we charge less to society as a whole," he argued.

He has therefore made a request to "banish" the idea of asking the Government for tax cuts, since this means asking for a privilege for a sector, and to help and support them in the exercise of reducing spending.

The minister's statements come amid the discussion of the 2025 Budget in the Argentine Chamber of Deputies, these being the first public accounts presented by the Milei Administration. One of the axes of this budget text is the zero deficit.

"Zero deficit is not negotiable," the president said last Tuesday, referring to the talks taking place between parties within the legislative branch with the aim of passing the budget, as Milei's party does not have a majority in the House.

Government spokesman Manuel Adorni explained in September that spending will be tied to revenue. "From now on, fiscal balance will be the norm, not only for the 2025 Budget, but for everything that comes in Argentina," he said.

Along these lines, Milei has invited the deputies to sit down and debate the reallocation of the budget, since increasing some items will require "having to reduce others."

"Here is the budget, see how you want to reallocate it, but there is one restriction, which is zero deficit. I am not going to raise taxes or take on new debt," Milei argued.

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