Mauricio Badaloni on Aconcagua Radio: "We can attract more investment if taxes are lowered and financing is available."

Mendoza businessman Mauricio Badaloni , a leading figure in the industrial sector and current representative of the Cuyo region in the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA), celebrated the arrival of Martín Rapallini to the presidency of the national entity and assured that a new era is beginning, with a strong role for the country's interior.

“I assumed the presidency of the Industrial Union of Mendoza more than eight or nine years ago, and today I have the responsibility of representing Cuyo at the UIA,” Badaloni said. Speaking to local media, he highlighted the generational shift taking place in the sector: “Martín Rapallini is someone I've known since Mendoza regained a presence at the UIA just six years ago. He always supported us, and thanks to that, today we have a voice in Buenos Aires.”

Rapallini is a businessman linked to Cerámica Alberdi, with strong personal and business ties to Mendoza. "He comes several times a year, and in fact, his first trip as president of the UIA will be to our province next week. He's here to support the Young Industrial Union, which brings together nearly 80 local youth," Badaloni explained.

Rapallini's leadership also marks a change in the managerial profile: "He's a young person, under 55, and the most important thing is that he's a real businessman. We value that: that he's on the field, that he pays the 931. Before, there were many professionals in management, but they weren't always employers," he stated critically.

When asked about the structural challenges facing the national industry, Badaloni was emphatic: "Competitiveness must be analyzed based on who we compete with. Today, the tax burden in Argentina is twice that of Chile."

“When we talk about labor costs, 50% is taxes. In Chile, that figure is 21 or 22%. Furthermore, access to credit is practically nonexistent: in the last 20 years, only 4 or 5% of the financial system's funds went to the private sector. In Chile, it was 96%,” he explained.

In this context, he stated that the country needs to level the playing field: "If we want to attract investment , we need better banks and accessible financing . But we also urgently need to lower tax costs, both in the labor and production sectors, at the municipal, provincial, and national levels."

Badaloni was not short on criticism of the current tax system, and especially the CIRCREP bank withholding regime, which he described as "a scam." "The State owes me money through CIRCREP and is paying me at face value. But if I owe them a patent, they'll give me a hard time. This can't continue," he emphasized.

He also warned that some contractual mechanisms favor informal labor: "That is Argentina's biggest problem. If we get more people registered in the labor market, we will begin to normalize the economy. But that is only possible if we lower taxes," he maintained.

When asked the classic "hope-meter" question from 1 to 10, Badaloni avoided giving a number, but made his position clear: "I think the government knows this. It knows it has to be done, but it also tells us: 'I can't do it now.' That's why we often take refuge in the provinces, which are much closer to the productive fabric."

With a critical but constructive perspective, the Mendoza businessman insisted that the key to industrial development lies in "creating real conditions of competition and productivity. It's not just about lowering costs, but also about stopping obstacles to those who want to generate employment and added value."

Listen to the full article here, and you can listen to the radio live at www.aconcaguaradio.com