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Representative Pablo Constenla supported the benefit for the border with Brazil, but rejected the IMESI reduction in Salto and called for its immediate extension to the border with Argentina. He warned of a negative impact on local trade and employment.
The Salta representative called for fiscal equity between the borders with Brazil and Argentina.
The representative for the department of Salto, Pablo Constenla, expressed his support for the project related to the border with Brazil, but strongly warned against what he considered a contradictory decision by the Executive Branch. While he supported the initiative, he demanded that the same measures also be applied to the border with Argentina, where the economic situation is delicate and trade competition is much tougher.
In his speech, the legislator emphasized that the adjustment to the IMESI benefit—which went from 40% to 32%—was a decision made in Montevideo "with a calculator in hand," without consulting local stakeholders. He explained that this cut directly affects fuel prices in Salto, raising the price of gasoline by at least six pesos per liter and widening the price gap with Argentina to between 13 and 15 pesos.
Constenla emphasized that these types of measures force Salta residents to cross the border to stock up, weakening local commerce and affecting employment. "It's very difficult to compete with a country where prices are much lower," she noted. She also warned that this change in fiscal policy represents a blow to those who had been investing in new investments and job creation in the department.
He also recalled that during the previous administration, the benefit was expanded to 40% with a commitment to border areas, even in difficult times such as when the Salto-Concordia Bridge was closed for almost a year and eight months. At that time, he said, support was maintained even though no one could cross to the neighboring shore.
The representative's criticism targeted what he considered a lack of sensitivity toward the inner workings of the department, a reality that—he said—seems to be ignored by those who make decisions in the Executive Tower. "Today we have to swallow a bitter pill," he lamented, arguing that this cut goes against the spirit of recovery the department had been showing after difficult economic times.
Constenla also referred to a draft resolution presented alongside legislators from other parties, such as the Colorado and National parties, in which they request the government urgently review this measure. The intention, she said, is to defend those who daily sustain commerce, jobs, and the local economy in a particularly vulnerable area.
In closing, he urged the Executive Branch to extend the same tax benefits being voted on for Brazil to the border with Argentina. "We are suffering on the northern coast, and these measures cannot be selective," he stated. He called for listening to local voices before making decisions that directly affect the daily lives of thousands of Uruguayans.
