The current controversy in town is all about the recent tripling of gas and electric bills. The rates were largely kept fixed in pesos following the crisis in 2001, this despite the fact that every thing else has increased 300% [in pesos] and petroleum based products even more. These low prices have been supported by Argentina's self-sufficiency in oil & gas as well as large subsidies to the energy industry. The current recession, however, has made this current regime hard to support and the government looking to pack in the pain in a single big increase. According to this graphic in Clarin from a couple of days ago, however, this massive increase [it's being called a tarifazo in Spanish] merely brings the level up to other provinces in Argentina and still way below Chile and Brasil which currently pay 10x the level here.
Today's headline in Clarin is that after much consumer and union outcry, the government has had to go back on their increase so it looks like this Bread & Circus show will go on for a few months longer.
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