Legality of repeated Western Union cash pickups?

[FrankPintor]

Excuse my ignorance here. I have no DNI here. How do I get my hands on peso here with a crypto transfer? So I would need to have an intermediary person (cueva, or whatever)?

There are debit cards you can load up with crypto currency and use for local payments in Pesos: Lemon (which I can't try because I'm not in the ARG App Store on my phone), Binance (which I could have, only Binance as usual screwed it up for me), and I'm sure there are more out there.

 

[jblaze5779]

There are debit cards you can load up with crypto currency and use for local payments in Pesos: Lemon (which I can't try because I'm not in the ARG App Store on my phone), Binance (which I could have, only Binance as usual screwed it up for me), and I'm sure there are more out there.

There is a thread here on how to work around the Google apps issue. Not sure if you're American (we're all American) but lemon cash won't take you anyways if so. Binance neither.

Only card I've found that works for Americans is the coinbase(us) card.

 

[FrankPintor]

There is a thread here on how to work around the Google apps issue. Not sure if you're American (we're all American) but lemon cash won't take you anyways if so. Binance neither.

Only card I've found that works for Americans is the coinbase(us) card.

OK, I'm not looking at this from a US perspective, I'm not American (unless you want to count my recent south American Argentinian citizenship), and I have an iPhone, I stay as far away as possible from anything contaminated by Google. I know, I'm awkward...

I didn't know you couldn't use Lemon... a colleague of mine signed up recently and says it works really well (though he's also not American).

 

[arvest]

Excuse my ignorance here. I have no DNI here. How do I get my hands on peso here with a crypto transfer? So I would need to have an intermediary person (cueva, or whatever)?

It's easy. Just load up on your crypto of choice and then visit a currency exchange in the city. Some of them do direct conversion between crypto and peso cash. Usually via a stablecoin at the blue rate

 

[wrangler]

Excuse my ignorance here. I have no DNI here. How do I get my hands on peso here with a crypto transfer? So I would need to have an intermediary person (cueva, or whatever)?

Correct, a lot of cuevas now, in addition to trading USD -> AR$ they will also trade crypto such us USDT or USDC against AR$. So yes, it would be very simple for you to do. Keep in mind though however, that digital currencies incur a commission right now, and it varies on a daily bases.

so say you have 1000 USDT you want to convert to AR$. First they would deduct today's rate of from USDT 2% say, to end up with USD, then they buy those USD at dollar blue (compra). to give you an idea, depending on where you go the USDT rate is anywhere between 2-3%. I hope this helps.

 

[wrangler]

It's easy. Just load up on your crypto of choice and then visit a currency exchange in the city. Some of them do direct conversion between crypto and peso cash. Usually via a stablecoin at the blue rate

He said he has no DNI, it will be hard for him to do that. Also I will caution, if you operate in crypto with your Argentine bank account, you may experience some problems with the account itself. I know this for a fact, because I have spoken to bankers about this.

 

[wrangler]

Lemon Cash from what I understand is a good alternative. It does not involve your bank account, and they pay you the dollar blue rate.

 

[steveinbsas]

I think you have to assume AFIP has complete visibility of any online financial transactions here. I came across this article a short while ago: https://www.infobae.com/economia/20...les-el-banco-tiene-que-informar-los-consumos/ (apologies if it was posted already), which gives some indication about what amounts might attract their attention... for bank deposits and extractions it seems to be 90.000 pesos. If you receive transfers above this amount it could be wise to give AFIP something in the way of taxes.

As the threshold for paying taxes on monthly income in Argentina will be raised from $200.000 to $330.000 on November 1, I would not use the word "wise" to describe ths kind of tax advise.

If my memory is correct, $90.000 was the monthly taxable income threshold in 2020. It increased to $150.000 in 2021 and then to $200,000 this year.

I actually check the AFIP website annually to be sure I am not transferring more than I should.

Regarding the title of this thread, there is noting "illegal" about making repeated Western Union transfers.

Not paying taxes which are actually owed can be considered a crime.

I have been living in Argentina for 16.5 years and I have never paid one centavo in income tax to AFIP, but I haven't broken any laws.

That's due to the simple fact that my 100% foreign income (deposited in pesos in my Argentine bank account via Western Union) has always been below the thresholds.

PS: The last time I spoke with my acountant was in 2019 and she confirmed that as long as my anual income (averaged monthly) remained below the threshold, I would nt owe any income tax or be required to make annual declarations.

So even if you tried, you would not be able to pay income tax on an average of less tha $330.000 pesos per month.

 

[wrangler]

As the threshold for paying taxes on monthly income in Argentina will be raised from $200.000 to $330.000 on November 1, I would not use the word "wise" to describe ths kind of tax advise.

If my memory is correct, $90.000 was the monthly taxable income threshold in 2020. It increased to $150.000 in 2021 and then to $200,000 this year.

I actually check the AFIP website annually to be sure I am not transferring more than I should.

Regarding the title of this thread, there is noting "illegal" about making repeated Western Union transfers.

Not paying taxes which are actually owed can be considered a crime.

I have been living in Argentina for 16.5 years and I have never paid one centavo in income tax to AFIP, but I haven't broken any laws.

That's due to the simple fact that my monthly income (in pesos transferred via Western Union) has always been below the thresholds.

PS: The last time I spoke with my acountant was in 2019 and she confirmed that as long as my anual income (averaged monthly) remained below the threshold, I would nt owe any income tax or be rewuire to make annual declarations.

I am only inscripted with AFIP for the bienes personales, which I have not owed or paid since 2008.

 

[Alfred_Arnold]

He said he has no DNI, it will be hard for him to do that. Also I will caution, if you operate in crypto with your Argentine bank account, you may experience some problems with the account itself. I know this for a fact, because I have spoken to bankers about this.

Can you further elaborate on the "problems with the account" these bankers have warned about? I transfer monthly to a real CBU brick and mortar bank account using cryptocurrency to use the Pagos de Servicios feature the bank provides, and it has been pretty seamless for the few years I've been doing so (in fact it has gotten easier over time as new exchanges/services have entered the arena).

I have an iPhone, I stay as far away as possible from anything contaminated by Google. I know, I'm awkward...

Not awkward at all, in fact I personally stay away from both Google and Apple! That aside, a cheap burner phone or an emulator on desktop could be a last resort to receive and operate the almighty Lemon card. It is very good and worthy of minor inconveniences.
@DK72 would need a DNI for this option though. I second the cueva if repeated western union pickups is causing stress.