By Ramiro Castiñeira
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Last week the Government announced that the fiscal outcome in November reached a primary surplus of $ 2.802 million, even without considering the income from the SDR of the IMF, the fiscal outcome would lead to a primary deficit of $ 1,200 million in the period.
Moreover, the deterioration of public accounts will double if not considering the $ 1,100 million monthly contributions from the former Pension Funds.
Similarly, comparing the first 11 months reflects the total public sector revenue increased by 13% over the same period last year. Even subtracting the proceeds of the SDR's as the former Pension Funds, tax revenues would have increased only 4.7% compared to 2008, remaining in positive territory just because of inflation.
Needless to say, it could hardly sustain the fiscal surplus in a year when tax revenues fall to a local and international economic recession, coupled with a poor harvest. That is beyond discussion. In fact, just trying to do so would be counterproductive.
But it warned that the government lost most of the fiscal surplus (3% of GDP in 2008), more by increasing public spending by lower tax revenues. Increased public expenditure was 29% for the full year, a magnitude that is almost twice the estimated inflation for the period.
While it may be understood as a countercyclical policy to mitigate the deterioration of economic activity, so is that the pace of public spending can not be sustained over time. Something that becomes worrisome when even clear warning signs of economic rebound international and local public spending in November rose 37% year-magnitude well above the annual average, making it clear that does not stop his drive on the level of activity.
Although the Government no longer has the resources to ensure payment of public debt in time with full independence of the financial markets, the default scenario is not yet on the horizon as the government needs only 2.3% of GDP for the payment of interest and principal in 2010 ( intra net public sector debt), of which half are in pesos and the rest have hefty reserves.
Now if the Government is set to restore the fiscal surplus target, the situation is moving well financed with more debt (as in the '70s and '90s), or to fund the State inflation, as in previous decades. Two hundred years of history showed that in both cases never ending.