Life under new President Mauricio Marcri continues to get worse for Argentines
Skyrocketing inflation in Argentina has caused chaos at the border with Chile as thousands of people try to cross every weekend in order to buy all kind of items that sometimes cost three time less than in Argentina.
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Last weekend there was a collapse at the Libertadores Tunnel, which crosses a part of the Andes mountain range that divides the two countries. Authorities say more than 27,000 people in about 7,500 cars caused a line of over 9 miles long from the Argentine side, forcing people to wait for up to 8 hours to cross the border when they normally do it in 30 minutes.
Each Argentine who travels to Chile can enter again to their country without paying taxes if products don’t exceed US$150, and US$75 if is a person is under 16 years. Also the figure can be split between family members. Those who exceed the limit pay a fine.
Recent research published by the Spanish newspaper El Pais ranked Argentina as the most expensive country in Latin America.
After less than a year of neoliberal reforms under President Macri, Argentina recorded its worst economic performance in seven years with a 5.9 reduction in Gross Domestic Product for the third quarter, according to official figures from the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses.
Macri assumed office in December, triggering an abrupt reversal in the economic policies of his predecessors, former Presidents Cristina Fernandez and her husband, Nestor Kirchner.
The new conservative administration has been plagued by nationwide protests over a series of neoliberal reforms, including mass layoffs, attacks on critical media outlets, and the criminal prosecution of political opponents.