Mining: new procedure for VAT refunds

ARCA (formerly AFIP) and the Mining Secretariat jointly repeal Joint General Resolution 1,641 (former AFIP) and Resolution 11/2004 of the Mining Secretariat, which until now governed the procedure for refunding VAT credits on mining investment (s. 14 bis of Law 24,196, added as Title II bis «Export Benefits» by s. 8 of Law 25,429). In their place, each body will issue its own implementing rules for the parts of the regime within its remit (ARCA on tax and customs matters, Mining on sector matters), with the stated aim of easing the application procedure and shortening processing time. Applications already filed before the rule continue under the 'Recupero de IVA - Regímenes Especiales v2.0' software until they are moved onto the new scheme. The missing figure, and the one that shapes the decision: the refund is not immediate — it becomes available after twelve (12) tax periods counted from the one in which the credit became creditable, and only to the extent it forms part of the taxpayer's credit balance. That is a year of working capital tied up, and it is written into the recitals of this same resolution. verif · Jul 23, 2026 ↗

Published and in force since 07/23/2026 (Official Gazette), with a transition period for VAT refund applications already initiated under the previous regime. verif · Jul 23, 2026 ↗

Mining companies registered in the Ley 24.196 regime that apply for the article 14 bis VAT refund, the one Decreto 482/2026 describes as the accelerated refund of exploration-stage VAT. This resolution does not create a new regime: it repeals the 2004 joint resolution that governed that procedure and lets the tax collection agency and the Mining Secretariat each issue its own rule verif. The shorter deadline and reduced paperwork are set by Decreto 482/2026 verif. The effect weighs most where copper and lithium exploration is concentrated: San Juan, Catamarca, Salta and Jujuy thesis. verif · Jul 23, 2026 ↗