Prior to the presentation of the first year's balance sheet to be given by Mayor Francisco Azcué, the Secretary of Cabinet Coordination and Treasury of the Municipality of Concordia, Accountant Pablo Ferreyra, highlighted that “modernization and the attainment of high standards of institutional and professional quality” were the central objectives of the municipal administration in this first year of government and that 2024 “was the prelude to a structural and profound change in the administration of Concordia”.
In a review of the aspects related to resource management in the first year of Mayor Francisco Azcué's administration, Ferreyra defined that “the year 2024 was the prelude to a structural and profound change in the administration of Concordia in terms of modernization, transparency, and efficiency of public management”.
He outlined that the municipality had to implement “different strategies to face the sharp reduction in resources suffered during the current year and the high impact of price increases, prioritizing efficiency, austerity, and transparency in spending” and remarked that “this allowed for the maintenance of public service provision, matching salary evolution with accumulated inflation, and making investments with own resources of 1.5 billion pesos in capital goods”.
He highlighted that “modernization and the attainment of high standards of institutional and professional quality” were the central objectives of the municipal administration “in terms of transparency, efficiency, and fiscal order to improve the quality of the services provided by the municipality”.
MAIN RESULTS
Among the main results achieved in 2024, he highlighted “the digitalization of internal processes and administrative procedures in general with the enabling of the Online Certificate of No Outstanding Debt system for the General Real Estate municipal tax and Commercial municipal tax, and the launch of the Express Business Licensing for low-risk businesses in 24 hours”. He described this as “a relevant milestone for the administration with the purpose of continuing to improve the experience with the municipality for individuals and companies that wish to start an economic activity in the city”.
He added that in “the management of payments to suppliers, reports were generated to measure average payment times in a clear and transparent manner” and based on that, deadlines were reduced by 50%, which allowed for significant savings “thanks to the quotation of better prices by suppliers considering the improvement in the predictability of payment times”.
He also highlighted administrative simplification with the implementation of the remote supplier registry, which eliminated the payment of stamp duty to register as a supplier, “which allowed more suppliers to apply and created greater price competition”, he assured.
Ferreyra also highlighted that with the implementation of the special and transitional regime for the regularization of tax obligations, a total of 12,037 taxpayers joined, consolidating a total debt of $1,336,398,351.55. He assessed that “this regime had a very positive impact in that it reinforced the collection of municipal income and contributed to improving the relationship between the municipality and taxpayers”.
Regarding collection actions to mitigate the loss of resources due to the drop in revenue, he recalled that “new collection channels were implemented for taxpayers, such as the possibility of paying with electronic checks (e-cheq), automatic debit enrollment, QR code payments, and interest rates for compensation, penalties, and financing were adjusted to align them with the values established by AFIP and ATER”.
He also spoke about the expansion of customer service at the Revenue Directorate with extended hours and the enabling of new email addresses to streamline communication and facilitate the management of procedures. He also indicated that the regulations were modified to expand the benefits of the General Real Estate municipal tax exemption for retirees and pensioners, allowing a greater number of citizens to access this benefit.
ZERO-BASED BUDGETING
Accountant Pablo Ferreyra placed special emphasis on the incorporation of the Zero-Based methodology for the preparation of the 2025 Municipal Budget as a management improvement tool.
He explained that the 2025 Municipal Budget “was prepared with the Zero-Based methodology, linking expenses with strategic objectives and prioritizing public investments under criteria of prudence and feasibility”.
He added that “this also implied significant work in updating the chart of accounts and budget items that the Municipality had been using for more than 30 years. This reform will allow for greater financial and budgetary controls, greater transparency to know exactly what the municipality spends and who spends it, and thus be able to account for the use of its resources to society in a transparent manner”, he detailed.
He recalled that with the Tax Reform presented this year “more than 300 municipal taxes and stamp duties were eliminated, many of them being obsolete, concepts were unified, and procedures were significantly simplified. Values that were ridiculous were updated, and equity and interaction between taxpayers and the administration were improved”, he highlighted.
In parallel, a cap was established on the Public Lighting municipal tax, a measure that benefited more than 2,000 micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in the city, “to whom it will report significant savings ranging between 4% and 10% on the final billing amount for electricity consumption”. This measure implied a fiscal cost of more than 200 million pesos during the three months of its validity in 2024 and “aimed to alleviate the fiscal burden on SMEs and help protect local jobs”, he considered.
EXPANSION OF THE TAX BASE
He highlighted the expansion of the tax base as a “fiscal equity policy” and said it was “the result of comprehensive management and cross-referencing of information between the Revenue Directorate and ATER, as well as oversight and inspection tasks”. He specified that as a result, the number of registered businesses increased by 30% since the beginning of the administration.
He also said that “the foundations were laid to carry out a physical inventory of municipal assets, which did not exist until now in the Municipality of Concordia, which will allow for proper control of their use, as well as the assignment of corresponding responsibilities”.
Finally, he announced that a new purchasing system was developed that will be implemented starting in January 2025, which will allow for the digitalization of processes and will be executed in two stages. “This work will bring multiple benefits to the municipal administration and the general public, among which are greater transparency in municipal public management and the generation of information and management indicator systems that allow for data-driven decision-making”, he assured, and highlighted that “starting from the development of this system, the public will be able to access transparent information regarding the use of the resources managed by the local government”.
He insisted that “the year 2024 was the prelude to a structural and profound change in the administration of Concordia” and that “efficiency in spending, the modernization of processes, and fiscal order, together with the application of high standards of institutional quality and transparency, will allow for greater availability of resources for the constant improvement in the quality of services provided by the municipality and to enable the completion of works, which until now were contingent upon external financing”.
In a review of the aspects related to resource management in the first year of Mayor Francisco Azcué's administration, Ferreyra defined that “the year 2024 was the prelude to a structural and profound change in the administration of Concordia in terms of modernization, transparency, and efficiency of public management”.
He outlined that the municipality had to implement “different strategies to face the sharp reduction in resources suffered during the current year and the high impact of price increases, prioritizing efficiency, austerity, and transparency in spending” and remarked that “this allowed for the maintenance of public service provision, matching salary evolution with accumulated inflation, and making investments with own resources of 1.5 billion pesos in capital goods”.
He highlighted that “modernization and the attainment of high standards of institutional and professional quality” were the central objectives of the municipal administration “in terms of transparency, efficiency, and fiscal order to improve the quality of the services provided by the municipality”.
MAIN RESULTS
Among the main results achieved in 2024, he highlighted “the digitalization of internal processes and administrative procedures in general with the enabling of the Online Certificate of No Outstanding Debt system for the General Real Estate municipal tax and Commercial municipal tax, and the launch of the Express Business Licensing for low-risk businesses in 24 hours”. He described this as “a relevant milestone for the administration with the purpose of continuing to improve the experience with the municipality for individuals and companies that wish to start an economic activity in the city”.
He added that in “the management of payments to suppliers, reports were generated to measure average payment times in a clear and transparent manner” and based on that, deadlines were reduced by 50%, which allowed for significant savings “thanks to the quotation of better prices by suppliers considering the improvement in the predictability of payment times”.
He also highlighted administrative simplification with the implementation of the remote supplier registry, which eliminated the payment of stamp duty to register as a supplier, “which allowed more suppliers to apply and created greater price competition”, he assured.
Ferreyra also highlighted that with the implementation of the special and transitional regime for the regularization of tax obligations, a total of 12,037 taxpayers joined, consolidating a total debt of $1,336,398,351.55. He assessed that “this regime had a very positive impact in that it reinforced the collection of municipal income and contributed to improving the relationship between the municipality and taxpayers”.
Regarding collection actions to mitigate the loss of resources due to the drop in revenue, he recalled that “new collection channels were implemented for taxpayers, such as the possibility of paying with electronic checks (e-cheq), automatic debit enrollment, QR code payments, and interest rates for compensation, penalties, and financing were adjusted to align them with the values established by AFIP and ATER”.
He also spoke about the expansion of customer service at the Revenue Directorate with extended hours and the enabling of new email addresses to streamline communication and facilitate the management of procedures. He also indicated that the regulations were modified to expand the benefits of the General Real Estate municipal tax exemption for retirees and pensioners, allowing a greater number of citizens to access this benefit.
ZERO-BASED BUDGETING
Accountant Pablo Ferreyra placed special emphasis on the incorporation of the Zero-Based methodology for the preparation of the 2025 Municipal Budget as a management improvement tool.
He explained that the 2025 Municipal Budget “was prepared with the Zero-Based methodology, linking expenses with strategic objectives and prioritizing public investments under criteria of prudence and feasibility”.
He added that “this also implied significant work in updating the chart of accounts and budget items that the Municipality had been using for more than 30 years. This reform will allow for greater financial and budgetary controls, greater transparency to know exactly what the municipality spends and who spends it, and thus be able to account for the use of its resources to society in a transparent manner”, he detailed.
He recalled that with the Tax Reform presented this year “more than 300 municipal taxes and stamp duties were eliminated, many of them being obsolete, concepts were unified, and procedures were significantly simplified. Values that were ridiculous were updated, and equity and interaction between taxpayers and the administration were improved”, he highlighted.
In parallel, a cap was established on the Public Lighting municipal tax, a measure that benefited more than 2,000 micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in the city, “to whom it will report significant savings ranging between 4% and 10% on the final billing amount for electricity consumption”. This measure implied a fiscal cost of more than 200 million pesos during the three months of its validity in 2024 and “aimed to alleviate the fiscal burden on SMEs and help protect local jobs”, he considered.
EXPANSION OF THE TAX BASE
He highlighted the expansion of the tax base as a “fiscal equity policy” and said it was “the result of comprehensive management and cross-referencing of information between the Revenue Directorate and ATER, as well as oversight and inspection tasks”. He specified that as a result, the number of registered businesses increased by 30% since the beginning of the administration.
He also said that “the foundations were laid to carry out a physical inventory of municipal assets, which did not exist until now in the Municipality of Concordia, which will allow for proper control of their use, as well as the assignment of corresponding responsibilities”.
Finally, he announced that a new purchasing system was developed that will be implemented starting in January 2025, which will allow for the digitalization of processes and will be executed in two stages. “This work will bring multiple benefits to the municipal administration and the general public, among which are greater transparency in municipal public management and the generation of information and management indicator systems that allow for data-driven decision-making”, he assured, and highlighted that “starting from the development of this system, the public will be able to access transparent information regarding the use of the resources managed by the local government”.
He insisted that “the year 2024 was the prelude to a structural and profound change in the administration of Concordia” and that “efficiency in spending, the modernization of processes, and fiscal order, together with the application of high standards of institutional quality and transparency, will allow for greater availability of resources for the constant improvement in the quality of services provided by the municipality and to enable the completion of works, which until now were contingent upon external financing”.