Overview
- Decree 266/2026, published Monday, authorizes the Ministry of Economy to raise or lower the gas surcharge at the entry point to the transport system by up to 50%, widening the range to 3.75%–11.25%, with no change applied yet.
- That surcharge finances the national trust that pays residential gas subsidies, chiefly the Cold Zones program extended to 2031, which officials describe as running a deficit under the prior 7.5% cap.
- A companion rule, Disposición 1/2026, sets a $9,593 refund per 10‑kg LPG cylinder and covers up to two cylinders per month from April through September and one in other months, with payments credited to bank accounts or interoperable digital wallets and retroactive to April.
- Households must enroll in the new Focused Energy Subsidies Register (ReSEF), which checks eligibility using ANSES income data, while Banco Nación provides the digital payment rails under the shift from the old Programa Hogar to post‑purchase refunds.
- Any future surcharge increase would raise costs across all gas users to sustain geographic discounts, since the fee is charged on every cubic meter at the transport entry point and declared through ARCA.