Buenos Aires, January 27 (NA) – Following the addition of the Juvenile Penal Law to the agenda to be debated during the extraordinary sessions period, President Javier Milei announced from Mar del Plata a series of reforms that will be addressed throughout the legislative year, an important source confirmed to the Noticias Argentinas agency. "For these extraordinary sessions, we will be sending the bill to lower the age of criminal responsibility for minors who commit crimes, because in Argentina, if you do the crime, you do the time, and an adult crime, an adult punishment," the head of state stated from Gemes and Avellaneda, and added: "We are also increasing all penalties in the Penal Code so that effectively, if you do the crime, you do the time." Likewise, surrounded by local activists and some legislators from La Libertad Avanza, he added: "In addition, we are sending a Tax Reform so that fiscal pressure decreases every day and we can be freer and grow." In this regard, an undeniable source assured this agency that neither the Penal Code Reform nor the Tax Reform will be added to the agenda that will begin to be discussed as of next Monday, February 2, until the 27th of the month, but will be dealt with during the ordinary legislative period that will begin next March 1st. In this way, this January the National Congress will only session to debate the "Modernization" Labor Law project, the Glacier Law, and the commercial agreement between Mercosur and the European Union, in addition to the recent incorporation of the Juvenile Penal Law. As this medium reported, in the libertarian administration, the timelines for the treatment of the project, which will be consensused with the opposition that presented similar initiatives, are being debated. The truth is that the project will replace the Minor Law and aims to establish a system of criminal responsibility for adolescents between 13 and 18 years of age. Likewise, the legislative agenda planned for this 2026 includes, among other topics, the reforms to the Penal Code and the Tax Reform. The first one contemplates more than 900 articles and pursues the objective of toughening penalties for serious crimes. In addition, it will intensify the criminal policy and supervise the action of magistrates who will have more tools, but will limit the "arbitrariness" when evaluating each case. On the other hand, there is the Tax Reform, perhaps the least known until then, could contemplate, as anticipated by the Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo, a "scheme of simplification and lower taxes in which there will be a drop in Income Tax for individuals and a very large incentive for the development of the capital market." "It doesn't matter," expressed a member of the small legislative circle. This morning, the official incorporation of the law that seeks to lower the age of criminal responsibility was formalized through decree 53/2026 published during the early morning in the Official Gazette. At the political table, there are those who guarantee that it will be dealt with in February, and those with less optimism who bet on starting its treatment to finish it during the ordinary sessions. "The idea is to start in the Chamber of Deputies, since what is sent enters through the Senate, so we could get there. In the worst case scenario, its treatment will be completed in March."
