Argentina exempts fintech and crypto firms from check tax, travel agencies left out

On 18 June 2026 the Argentine executive issued Decree 475/2026, expanding exemptions from the "impuesto al cheque" – a tax of about 1.2% on bank credit and debit operations – to include fintech payment agents, virtual‑asset service providers, credit‑card operators, and cash‑transport firms. The measure, signed by President Javier Milei, Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni and Economy Minister Luis Caputo, was presented as a response to technological advances and a step toward equalising fiscal treatment across financial actors.

Fintech companies such as Mercado Pago welcomed the relief, while crypto platform Bitso’s South America director Julián Colombo said the change “eliminates the asymmetries that affected the competitiveness of the virtual‑asset sector”. Lawmakers Alejandro Rodríguez and Guillermo Michel criticised the exclusion of small merchants and tourism‑related businesses, noting that the tax still burdens those sectors.

Travel‑agency groups argue the exemption gap harms their margins, with Atrápalo Argentina CEO Martin Romano stating: “It costs us more than 10 % of our margin”. Columbia Viajes head Fabricio Di Giambattista called the omission a “political decision” awaiting resolution.