The elimination of the mandatory contribution to business chambers imposed by the government of Javier Milei has been supported by the commercial sector, as it represents a significant financial relief. The contribution, which merchants had been making since 2008 for training for each registered employee, has been deemed unnecessary by CADAM, the Argentine Chamber of Distributors and Wholesale Self-Service.
CADAM has emphasized that this contribution only increased labor costs without providing tangible benefits for either workers or employers who opted not to train their employees. Additionally, there are concerns about the lack of transparency in the accountability regarding the destination of these funds managed by business unions, such as the Argentine Confederation of Medium Enterprises (CAME).
The elimination of this voluntary contribution was made possible by Decree 149/2025 published in the Official Bulletin. With this measure, an annual savings of about $70 billion is expected for merchants, which, according to CADAM, will encourage the hiring of more jobs in the wholesale sector, which currently supports nearly 10,000 jobs.
The contribution, which was applied to workers' salaries and increased with each collective bargaining agreement, has been considered non-essential by the commercial sector, especially in a context where there is a push to stimulate investments and job creation. The elimination of this contribution has been celebrated as a step in the right direction by entrepreneurs, who appreciate the support of President Javier Milei, as well as other key officials like Chief of Cabinet Minister Guillermo Francos and the Minister for Deregulation and State Transformation, Federico Sturzenegger. The role of National Deputy Marcela Pagano in advancing the cause in the National Congress was also recognized.
