The Silver Curtain has been drawn.
It wasn’t enough that they could no longer exchange Pesos for Dollars without permission from AFIP.
And it wasn’t enough that they could no longer send Dollars outside the country without permission from AFIP.
And it wasn’t enough that they could only withdraw a couple hundred dollars worth out of any account in any given day without permission from AFIP.
And it wasn’t enough that AFIP had money-sniffing dogs at all the airports and ferry terminals to keep Argentinos from taking their money out.
And it wasn’t enough that with all these other restrictions in place, you can’t even buy gold to protect yourself from inflation without permission from AFIP. They have unapologetically forced Argentinos into a corner, robbing them of their funds, and are not even attempting to hide it.
Could it possibly get worse for them? Turns out it could…
A new law went into effect yesterday, in which any Argentine wishing to leave the country, even for tourism, must first register with AFIP (the Argie version of the IRS) in order to prove the source of the funds to make said trip. So long, Argentine tourists. So long, tourism in Uruguay. Up yours, Kristina.
Argentina had some 20% inflation last month, and the black market arbitrage rate is now as high as 6 to the Dollar when the official rate is 4.47.
Some further links, thanks to ArgieBob:
“Requisites for buying Dollars, and ability to travel”
“Do I need permission to travel?” which attempt to clarify some of the law (Resolution 3333) but doesn’t much succeed; however, the author does indeed identify this law as one that accuses all Argentine international travelers as suspected tax evaders who must prove otherwise. It appears to be an exit visa restriction disguised as a currency control, and vice versa.
expatbob 
You can bet the Untied Snakes of America has something like this in its future, while perhaps criminalizing those who got their asses and assets out of the country where they can’t be seized by keystroke. Unpatriotic! Siding with the tayrists! Gimme another Big Gulp and extra fries!
They do, actually, and its proposed name is the Ex-Patriot Act.
Reblogged this on Durable Faith and commented:
Coming to a banana republic near you soon…
I feel your blog. I love Argentina but that government flushed me out of the country about a month ago. I’d lived there for about two years since Mach, 2009 and enough was enough with the government’s inflation and the rest. I’ve been an expat since my fist visit to Argentina. Things were cheaper then and there was more energy in the streets. It seems the locals are preparing for tough time ahead and there’s less of a vibe on the streets than I recall back in 2009. It’s been interesting to watch the show for the last few years. I do feel for the Argys and you’re latest news regarding the tourism and the government’s control over the locals is out of control, but no surprise. Cheers for the info.
We had an afternoon with our escribano, a month or so ago and got to talking about Argentina. A relative of his is an economics professor at a prestigious university, there. The professor, “wait for it”, is burying dollars in tin cans, in his back yard. I thought that was interesting