Argentina-President Christins Fernandez de Kirchner, indicates no change in farm taxes.

ARGENTINA-PRESIDENT ADDRESS’S CONGRESS.

The President of Argentina Christina Fernandez de Kirchner, gave a one hour long very moving speech before Congress on Sunday, that has given no hope to the farmers of the nation, yet moved the other 90% of the country to close to tears.

No one is in any position to fault the content of the speech, however farmers have a valid complaint, about what was not said in relation to their complaints.

In essence the farmers are hoarding 9 million tons of soy beans and refusing to sell because of a) the bad price and b) the 35% export tax.

95% of the farmers in Argentina are third and fourth generation farmers, who really only have a claim to fame as being inheritors of land by birth.

A small farmer is classed as anyone holding less that 300 hectares or 700 acres, of the most fertile land in the world.

The soy farmers and most of the grain farmers have farms with far more land than this, along with a city home in the best suburbs of Buenos Aires and a beach home in Mar del Plata.

There in US$150 billion held in Swiss banks belonging to the elite of Argentina, this figure could even be higher.

Tax evasion is a National Sport in Argentina, this has been the case for the last 100 years.

Therefore no matter who is in government, tax is always a thorny issue.

The government are now threatening to re introduce the wheat and grain board, this at a time when Australia are de regulating their national grain boards.

The reasoning behind this is political, as the farmers will not then be in a position to hoard grain, thus denying the government of the export tax dollars and foreign exchange.

The farmers are threatening to bring the country to its knees, if this proposal is pursued.