Mining: faster VAT refunds on investment

What changed

ARCA (formerly AFIP) and the Mining Secretariat jointly repeal Joint General Resolution 1,641 (ex AFIP) and Resolution 11/2004 of the Mining Secretariat, which until now governed the procedure for refunding VAT tax credits on mining investments (art. 22 of Law 24,196 and Law 25,429). In their place, each agency will issue its own implementing rules for the aspects of the regime under its purview (ARCA on tax/customs matters, Mining on sector matters), with the declared goal of simplifying the application procedure and shortening processing times. Applications already filed under the previous rules continue through the 'VAT Recovery - Special Regimes v2.0' system until they are migrated to the new scheme. verif · Jul 23, 2026 ↗

In force

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 ↗

Who it affects

Mining companies with projects under Law 24,196 (lithium, copper, gold, silver) that recover VAT tax credits on their investments — it shortens the time between investing (paying VAT on inputs/equipment) and recovering that credit, a real financial cost in capital-intensive projects with long maturation periods. Direct impact on the mining provinces (San Juan, Catamarca, Salta, Jujuy) where the large copper and lithium projects are concentrated. verif · Jul 23, 2026 ↗

The norm

Resolución General Conjunta 5878/2026, issued jointly by the Agencia de Recaudación y Control Aduanero (ARCA) and the Secretaría de Minería (Ministry of Economy), published in the Boletín Oficial on Jul 23, 2026 (notice 344834). It is the supplementary rule on the VAT refund that Decreto 482/2026 (BO Jun 23, 2026) provided would be issued within 60 business days of its publication. verif · Jul 23, 2026 ↗

Our reading

This is the complementary regulation that Decree 482/2026 had announced — and it confirms the decree's thesis rather than diluting it: less red tape, faster processing. Speeding up the refund of invested VAT lowers the financial cost of building a mine before producing a single gram, exactly the kind of friction a capital-intensive investor measures before committing to a project (R4 · opening and deregulation). thesis

Where it lands, province by province2

San Juan Projects under construction (Vicuña, Josemaría, Filo del Sol) recover the VAT paid on equipment and imported/local inputs faster, easing the financial cost of the pre-production stage — the very stage San Juan is in today. favorable opening and deregulation thesis

Salta Salta sits exactly in the stage this rule relieves: its three approved projects (USD 4,055 M) are in construction or pre-production, meaning they pay VAT on equipment and inputs without yet generating the output tax to credit it against. Accelerated refunds free up working capital precisely within the 2026-2029 window over which the province's nine service niches are annualised. It is the same mechanism already stated for San Juan, except that in Salta the capex is lithium and gold rather than copper. favorable opening and deregulation thesis

Mining: faster VAT refunds on investment

What changed and who it applies to

Our reading

Where it lands, province by province2

The other rules on this subject28

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