Neuquén Province posts $65 bn surplus amid debate over Argentina's central bank reform

The legislature of Neuquén Province approved the 2025 General Investment Account, reporting a financial surplus of roughly 65,000 million Argentine pesos. The surplus reflects higher revenues and a 10‑point increase in spending due to inflation‑adjusted public‑sector wages. Debt was reduced by about $279.7 bn, bringing the province’s debt stock to around US$808 million, and investment in public works, especially roads, schools and health facilities, was doubled.

Separately, Fernando Schpoliansky, the city of Neuquén’s finance and citizen‑protection secretary, outlined the national government’s proposed overhaul of the Central Bank under President Javier Milei. The reform seeks to bar the bank from financing the Treasury deficit, grant the board unprecedented autonomy, and introduce criminal penalties for non‑compliance. Schpoliansky warned that Argentina’s de facto bimonetary system and a 270 % year‑over‑year inflation rate have created a fragile exchange‑rate bubble that could burst under external shocks.