Argentina Digitises Mining VAT Refunds, Scrapping Its 2004 Rulebook

On 23 July 2026 Argentina modernised one of its most important mining incentives. Through Joint General Resolution 5,878/2026 (published in the Boletín Oficial), ARCA and the Secretaría de Minería repealed the two-decade-old RGC 1,641/2004, which had set the procedure for refunding VAT under Law 24,196 on Mining Investments. The decision does not eliminate the fiscal benefit—it fully maintains the right to recover VAT—but changes how it is administered, in line with the comprehensive reform introduced by Decree 482/2026. RG 5,879/2026 incorporates the regime into the Sistema Integral de Recupero (SIR) under code 006 (form F. 8147), covering VAT paid on imports and purchases of capital goods tied to exploration, recoverable 12 fiscal periods after its original computation. Companies may file up to four quarterly claims (March, June, September, December), must be registered in the Registro Fiscal de Actividades Mineras, and must provide an independent accountant’s report; the new scheme is compulsory for applications from the March 2026 period onward.