Milei announces a tax cut on agricultural exports and a veto of opposition laws.

Argentine President Javier Milei announced this Saturday a reduction in export taxes on meat, soybeans, corn, sunflowers, and sorghum, seeking to contain the protests these sectors have faced in recent weeks. He also announced that he will veto a package of opposition laws in Congress.

Speaking at the latest edition of the International Livestock, Agriculture, and Industry Exhibition (Expo Rural) in Buenos Aires, Milei referred to the opposition as "fiscal degenerates" and "parasites," while emphasizing that any middle path leads to collectivism.

The president announced that the tax reduction will follow the following schedule starting this Saturday: poultry and beef from 6.75% to 5%; corn and sorghum from 12% to 9.5%; sunflower from 7% to 5.5%; soybeans from 33% to 26%; and soybean by-products from 31% to 24.5%.

According to the president, the measure "will be permanent" and will entail a 20% reduction in the tax rates for grain chains and a 26% reduction for meats.

The president arrived at the fairgrounds in Buenos Aires in the cargo space of a 4x4 pickup truck, along with his sister and presidential secretary, Karina Milei, and the Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo.

Amidst the internal conflict within the ruling party, Vice President Victoria Villarruel did not attend the event.

Just before that, Nicolás Pino, head of the Argentine Rural Society (SRA), opened the day with demands that the national government end the taxes on agricultural exports, known as retentions, which he described as "worse than the plague, the flood, or the drought."

In turn, and preceded by applause, Milei offered a speech lasting more than an hour in which he described the impoundments as "disastrous and sinister."

He linked taxes on the agricultural sector to social rights: "They seek to generate endless expectations in people, arguing that where there is a need, a right is born, and that all rights require state intervention. And therefore, taxes."

"At the same time, Milei had to admit that the goal of reducing export duties to 0% isn't that simple: "We understand that being extremely cautious is perpetuating an abomination that should never have existed and putting a ceiling on the growth of the sector and, consequently, the entire economy."

In view of the imminent legislative elections in Argentina, Milei established a scenario of confrontation with the rest of the opposition and asked the productive sectors to support him against those who, he said, "have slaughtered the cash cow" in recent years.

In his speech at the Rural Expo, he argued that the only way the announced measure can be sustained is through the current economic program to adjust public accounts, which the Argentine government describes as a "fiscal surplus," carried out "in the face of attacks from the political establishment."

In the second relevant segment of his presentation, the president announced that he will veto the package of laws approved by opposition parties to improve retirement pensions and aid for people with disabilities, as well as the reform of how national funds are distributed among provincial governments.

According to Milei, "implementing these measures and sustaining them over time would imply an increase in Argentine debt dynamics of close to $350 billion at present value."

"We will veto these laws, which seek to drive the country into bankruptcy and poverty," he promised.

This Saturday's speech included passages of verbal attacks against the Argentine political ecosystem: "They are genocidaires of the future, murderers of our children," he said.

"Today, there are two possible models of country: one of freedom or one of state servitude represented by the state party," stated the current Argentine head of state.

Regarding this second sector, he added: "This isn't a half-baked issue. Either they embrace or they don't. Any middle ground also leads to collectivism."