Buying dollars legally gets even harder now

[nicoenarg]

My friend was telling me that it's not 25% on your salary but rather 25% after living costs are calculated. So if you earned 6000, they would say 4000 are needed to pay bills etc. meaning you would be allowed to change 25% of the remaining 2000. I can't confirm this as I've taken my limit for the month. Good luck anyone trying to buy us$ and try not to get shot!

AYFKM! Alright, being able to buy U$S Dollars is not the ultimate sign of one's freedom. However, why is it that this government feels like its within their power and rights to tell people what to do with the money that they have worked their asses off to earn?

This reminds me of some of those shady churches where they tell you, "all the money you earn belongs to God, so just feel free to put it all in the offering!" It seems like the government thinks all the money belongs to them and they are doing people a favor by letting them have their salaries!

Why do the Argentine people stand for s**t like this? Where are the protests for this? Its your money for crying out loud! And on top of that, the government works for you! Not the other way around. You are paying taxes which in turn pay their salaries. They should be there to listen to you, not you listen to them! They are "public servants" remember? Not your freakin' overlords!

Today they are telling you what to do with your money and tomorrow they will tell you what to do with your lives. How far are you willing to let them take it before you act?

Argh! I am ranting on a freakin' expat forum where none of us have any power whatsoever to bring about change in this country!

 

[allcraz]

Oh my gosh this is ridiculous. I just went onto AFIP and I can't exchange even a fourth of what I could last month. Ridiculous. Really really upsetting.

 

[allcraz]

Why do the Argentine people stand for s**t like this? Where are the protests for this?

Such a great question. I just called my (Argentine) husband...very upset about this. He was super calm and said, "What did you expect? Does this surprise you? Era obvio. Exchange what you can y vas ahorrando. I'm not going to let myself get upset every day over what this goverment does and you shouldn't either." I told him he's lived her too long and hung up. Some Argentines have told me it's not my right to buy dollars. All I know is that I can't stand having someone tell me what I can and can't do with my money. And encima I just paid my taxes today.

 

[Ashley]

Such a great question. I just called my (Argentine) husband...very upset about this. He was super calm and said, "What did you expect? Does this surprise you? Era obvio. Exchange what you can y vas ahorrando. I'm not going to let myself get upset every day over what this goverment does and you shouldn't either." I told him he's lived her too long and hung up. Some Argentines have told me it's not my right to buy dollars. All I know is that I can't stand having someone tell me what I can and can't do with my money. And encima I just paid my taxes today.

I feel exactly like you allcraz! I'm monotributista here and, despite paying my taxes on time every single bloody month, I have never been able to exchange pesos for dollars! According to this new regulation, my husband's quota has just been shot to bits, leaving us with useless savings in pesos... I too, am completely astounded at how on earth this woman still has supporters (including middle-class professionals) and why on earth people aren't protesting! For me, forcing people to keep money in a currency that WILL devaluate, is daylight robbery and akin to people losing their savings in dollars in 2002! When on earth are people going to take to the streets??

 

[HeyBA]

Question: if one is a perma-tourist, how does one buy dollars? Are there limits in that case?

 

[allcraz]

When on earth are people going to take to the streets??

When they start taking away their pesos, too. (Even though inflation does that anyway, but they have to actually start closing their accounts like 10 years ago and THEN they will start to get upset.) I was just at lunch. I swear...I work with all Argentines and they make me feel as though I am the one who is crazy. "Para qué querés ahorrar en dólares? Para qué necesitás dólares?" The thing is that they know the answers to those questions, but they don't want to admit their country is disastrous in so many ways in front of me. Some of them said, "I can't even save in pesos, so why would I care?" THAT'S the way most people feel about this. There is such a small percentage of Argentines that has the money to be able to save in dollars, so the majority of them just shrug their shoulders. And make me out to be the rich American. Please. I have no idea why I save and they don't, but that's not my problem.

 

[allcraz]

Oh my gosh this is ridiculous. I just went onto AFIP and I can't exchange even a fourth of what I could last month. Ridiculous. Really really upsetting.

I might need to stick my foot in my mouth regarding this particular statement. I already exchanged this month, and I thought that the number you get on the AFIP page was always the number you can exchange each month whether or not you do. But I was just told that it's like an account each month. If you exchange, the number goes down. I didn't realize that number kept a running tab. Anyway...I'll hold my breath til June.

 

[mariposa]

yesterday i bought dollars through my bank account as i had done regularly in the past. no problem. today i decided to buy some more. i was not able to. i went onto AFIP and today i am suddenly not authorized to buy even 100 dollars.

time to fasten your seatbelts....

 

[PhilipDT]

I just had some family in town and asked that they bring my girlfriend an iPhone. She went to buy dollars them back and apparently had to go to various casas de cambio after being on the phone with the AFIP for hours just to be able to get the $700 that she needed. She's always paid her taxes, earns a fairly substantial salary yet almost couldn't pay for a cell phone!

 

[El chabon]

I just had some family in town and asked that they bring my girlfriend an iPhone. She went to buy dollars them back and apparently had to go to various casas de cambio after being on the phone with the AFIP for hours just to be able to get the $700 that she needed. She's always paid her taxes, earns a fairly substantial salary yet almost couldn't pay for a cell phone!

You should have done the smart thing and give them pesos back.

Ex-pats who have visiting family/friends coming over should just pay for there stay in BA and let them pay in dollars/euro's they bring