Decree 136/2023, which was published this week, aims to encourage the production of consumer electronics in the country and takes Brazil as a model
By Marcelo Mussi
15/03/2023 – 19,05hs
This Tuesday, the Ministry of Economy published the decree 136/2023, which includes a key measure for the private sector of the hardware industry. Go from the import duty of 0% to 16% for devices such as notebooks y tablets it represents greater development, investment, work and the possibility of access and consumption of technological goods for a greater portion of the population.
Today we see that the import tariff is not the only cause that a product is worth more or less. There are other factors that must be addressed in order to optimize and promote the consumption of technology in the country.
Premium manufacturing in Argentina and with the best price
The relative impact of the tariffs on the values of the products can be graphed with the following case: currently, a Lenovo computer in Argentina, with 0% import tariff, has a value of $249.999, 25% more than what comes out in the United Stateswhere you get u$s523 (with an exchange rate of u$s1 = $380).
On the other hand, a product from another category manufactured locally -such as the Samsung S23 Ultra smartphone- has a final price of $499.999, 11% less than its value in the United Stateswhere you get $1,476 with taxes included (using the same price of the dollar at $380).
Likewise, Decree 136/2023 is a measure that will strengthen the official financing plans -like Now 12- created in order to enable more people to access a state-of-the-art notebook and/or tablet and thus reduce the digital gap through a mechanism of quotas that today does not exist for imported products.
Another point to take into account is linked to the distribution chain, which is key for products to reach people. If the other members of the marketing chain accompany the measure with plans that facilitate access, it will be possible to move towards a virtuous circle of production and sale that benefits consumers with quality technology at adequate prices.
In Argentina, premium devices are produced at lower prices than in the US That could happen now with notebooks.
The development of local electronics and the example of Brazil
Leaving aside the consumer price analysis and keeping an eye on the productionit aims to think about a local development in the medium and long term ccreating premium technology in the country. That is, to expand the national production model to new places, as is already the case in AMBA, Córdoba, San Luis, Santa Fe and Tierra del Fuego. Because? Basically, because new players will enter the market, which will give greater competitiveness between companies, price stabilization and diversity of offer for users.
Today, the 16% tariff is a measure that neighboring countries have implemented with concrete and positive results. Regardless of the scale of Brazil Compared to Argentina, leading international brands such as Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung have notebook and tablet production plants in that country.
With the signing of this decree, Argentina seeks to follow the path of the neighboring country in terms of industry. So now is the time and the opportunity for global brands to bet on the country to generate new production lines and join local ones such as Asus, Banghó, CX, Exo and Positivo BGH, among others.
In short, this measure could be the starting point towards a business model for selling notebooks and tablets that is accessible to the public and sustainable over time. The development and possibility of this measure evolving and prospering depends on working together.
