Argentine Government Reviews Postal Rates

Argentine Cabinet Chief Jorge Capitanich said Thursday the government will begin negotiations with companies over new rates for a wide range of public services. Capitanich said in a press conference that proposals for the new rates would have to be submitted over the next 120 days. He said the restructuring would include rates on drinking water, electricity, natural gas, telecommunications, railways, subways, highway tolls, airports, ports and the post office. The cabinet chief said the government had signed into law legislation switching all rates into pesos – rather than dollars – and delinking the rates from U.S. inflation levels. The government announced it intended to restructure public service rates after it devalued the peso in early January.