The norm, in detail
Neuquén joins the national RIGI: the key that plugs Vaca Muerta into the 30-year regime
Ley provincial 3491 (2024) · promulgation Decreto 37/2025
in forcePROVINCIAL
RIGI and investment
Ley 3491 brings Neuquén into the RIGI of Ley 27.742: the province commits to honoring the tax stability of the projects that enroll.
What changed and who it applies to
What changed
Neuquén formally adhered to the Large Investment Incentive Regime (RIGI) created by Ley nacional 27.742 (Ley Bases), Title VII, Chapters I to XII, articles 164 to 228 (Art. 1 of Ley 3491). The adhesion is the legal piece that obliges the province to respect, for projects that adhere to the national RIGI, the benefits of the federal regime: fiscal/regulatory/customs stability for 30 years, tax benefits, free availability of foreign exchange and FX stability, for large-scale projects (general threshold from USD 200 M). Without this provincial adhesion, the provincial taxes (Turnover Tax, Stamp, Property) were left outside the stability umbrella the RIGI promises the Vaca Muerta megaprojects. The law designates the Ministry of Economy, Production and Industry as enforcement authority (Art. 3) and invites the municipalities to adhere (Art. 4). Important precision: the text of Ley 3491 does NOT itself contain rates, exemptions of Turnover/Stamp/Property tax "up to 100%" or a "guaranteed official dollar" — those benefits come from the NATIONAL RIGI (Ley nacional 27.742) to which this law adheres, and the province's own regime with tiered exemptions is Ley 3502 "Invest in Neuquén". 3491 is the pure adhesion to the federal regime; it should not be confused with 3502. verif Jan 8, 2025 ↗
In force
From its publication in the Official Gazette (January 2025; promulgated by Decreto 37/2025 of 01-08-2025). verif Jan 8, 2025 ↗
Are you in or out?
Owners of large investment projects located in Neuquén —mainly energy and unconventional hydrocarbons in Vaca Muerta (YPF and majors, midstream such as VMOS, LNG, gas pipelines)— that adhere to the national RIGI and need the 30-year fiscal stability to also reach the provincial taxes. Indirectly, the whole ecosystem of suppliers and satellite services built around each megaproject the RIGI unlocks. prob Jan 8, 2025 ↗
The norm
Ley provincial 3491, passed by the Neuquén Legislature on December 20, 2024 —with 26 votes in favor, according to the Legislature's own official note— and enacted by the Executive through Decreto 37/2025 on January 8, 2025. It is a short law of 6 articles. Enforcement authority: the province's Ministry of Economy, Production and Industry (Art. 3). It takes effect on publication in the Boletín Oficial (Art. 5). It invites municipalities to join the RIGI (Art. 4). Signed by Governor Rolando Figueroa. verif Jan 8, 2025 ↗
Our reading
This is the master key: the national RIGI creates the 30-year regime, but only when the province adheres —Ley 3491— is Vaca Muerta truly plugged in, with fiscal stability also covering Neuquén's taxes. It is the provincial yes that turns the RIGI into a credible promise for YPF and the majors, and each megaproject it unlocks opens supplier demand and satellite services. thesis
What do you have to decide with this?
Tell us what your company does and we tell you whether this rule obliges you, enables you or does not apply, and what it changes for selling to the projects.
Analyze my companyWhere it lands, province by province1
Neuquén Pure adhesion to the national RIGI (arts. 164-228, Ley 27.742): the provincial taxes (Turnover Tax, Stamp, Property) enter the federal regime's 30-year stability umbrella for projects from USD 200 M. The province's own benefits (tiered exemptions, 10-year stability) are from Ley 3502, not this one. favorable thesis
The other rules on this subject31
Super RIGI: data centers, AI and semiconductorsFirst-round approval in the Chamber of Deputies (Jun-2026), in the Senatepending
Invest in Neuquén: the 'Neuquén RIGI' that starts at USD 500,000Ley 3502 (2025) + Decreto 0097/2026in force
How to read the seals → verif primary source · prob primary source pending · unconf a source said it · estim our own calculation · thesis our reading · the date belongs to the datum, at the precision its source allows
Ignacio Aredez· Chief analyst
Credentials and track record →- 10+ years in data science for clients across Europe and the Americas
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Fact sheet built on the published rule, with the gaps declared. Back to the reforms