The Corrientes-based firm Las Marías is claiming before the Justice system that the province of Misiones withholds taxes above the legally established amount and asserts that it has already paid in advance what it would have to pay over a period of 307 years. The country's leading producer of yerba mate and tea filed a lawsuit stating that, as an advance payment on Gross Income Tax, the Misiones tax authority withholds 333 million pesos monthly from its bank accounts, 17.105% more than the corresponding 2 million pesos. If other taxes and special levies, such as those for processing plants, are added, the company pays in advance about 7,171 million pesos annually, compared to a real tax burden of only 23 million pesos. The conflict puts the so-called 'parallel customs' of Misiones under the microscope, a system of withholdings and Gross Income Tax levies that has generated strong rejection in the productive sector due to its impact on corporate liquidity. In the lawsuit, the firm states that the provincial state has collected 30.718% more in withholdings and levies than the corresponding tax amount. However, subsequently, the Superior Tribunal of Justice of Misiones declared itself competent and annulled the precautionary measure, reinstating the tax burden on Las Marías. The Attorney General of the Nation recently ruled that the case must be resolved by the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, as it is a conflict that directly involves two provinces. Currently, the file is in the offices of the Supreme Court.
Thus, the figure provided is equivalent to 307 years of advance tax payments, which contrasts with the 99-year duration that the company's own statute provides. The legal dispute between Las Marías and the provincial tax authority was joined by the Government of Corrientes, which appeared in the case as an 'interested party', arguing that the tax policy of Misiones nullifies the company's investment plans in its territory. In this sense, Corrientes argues that the 'illegitimate collection regime' of Misiones forced Las Marías to halt expansion projects on Corrientes soil, affecting job creation and provincial autonomy. At the same time, the yerba mate company requested the intervention of the national Executive, alleging that the Misiones tax system interferes with the foreign exchange settlement scheme. The case had in first instance a precautionary measure in favor of the company by nullifying the tax regime in the Federal Court of Paso de los Libres.
