Some context (HT: WSJ):
The criminal complaint, initiated by the Commerce Secretariat, is the harshest in a series of legal measures against economists. The credibility of Indec’s data has been questioned ever since former President Nestor Kirchner replaced longtime civil servants with political appointees in early 2007.
So far this year, the Secretariat has fined at least nine economic research firms 500,000 pesos ($122,000) each. This week, the Secretariat also slapped a second fine on Orlando J Ferreres & Asociados.
“They fine us for saying how much prices have risen,” Mr. Ferreres, director of his eponymous firm, said. “They could seek criminal charges against all of us. We don’t know how far they’re willing to go.”
Mr. Ferreres said the legal actions are part of a strategy to prevent independent economists from publishing potentially negative information during an election year.
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It’s outrageous…if you have an economic consulting firm you should not contradict government inflation numbers which everybody knows have been cooked. Furthermore you can go to jail. This is not different than the system in the former Soviet Union. The Secretary of Commerce should be fired for inept and incompetent. The prices have been rising to stratospheric proportions and life in Argentina is more much more expensive than in the United States due to high inflation all combined with very low wages. Nevertheless the current government intends to be re-elected ‘a la Chavez’.
with subsidies to the poor and the powerful conglomerates.