At the end of 2006, the National Treasury received a free loan of $ 3.5 billion. According to a report by the National Audit Office (AGN), this money came from the "significant surplus balances" of the National Treasury Contributions Fund to the Provinces, an initiative created to deal with regional financial imbalances.
 
The monitoring body states that "during the last years, the Fund's collection has been significantly higher than the credit approved to meet the contributions of the provinces, which resulted in the accumulation of surpluses."
 
In fact, the transfers of money to the provinces had an evolution between 2003 and 2006 that reached its peak in 2005 (year of legislative elections), when they were sent from the National Administration almost $160 million. However, both the balances carried forward from previous years and those accumulated grew, while in 2006 the credit allocated to ATN was almost $80 million, the total remaining amount was $4,261 million (see chart).
 
The report adds that, in addition to the 2006 loan, the National Treasury had previously received other credits from the ATN Fund.
 
These types of transactions are legally framed according to article 37 of Law 11,672 Complementary Permanent Budget. The rule empowers the National Executive to provide for the constitution of financial applications for free by the Jurisdictions and Entities of the National Public Administration in favor of the National Treasury, in order to meet the financing of their expenses through the use of the funds available System of Unique Account of the Treasure by a term of 90 days.
 
Although the AGN recognizes that the $3.5 billion loan "was repaid on February 28th 2007," it also states that the method of not executing the transfers to the provinces caused a "deferral of the destination allocated to those funds by the Law of Federal Partnership."
 
The National Treasury Contribution fund is financed with 1% of the mass of national co-participation taxes, such as VAT; 2% of the profit produced; 1% over 90% of the production of Personal Assets; and a fixed amount of $20 million.
 
Regarding the management of surpluses, the Audit pointed out that, although the Secretariat of Provinces is responsible for administering the Fund, it "lacks income responsibility and has no interference" over the remainder. The collection is the responsibility of the Federal Administration of Public Revenue (AFIP, for its acronym in Spanish).
 
In this sense, the report recalls that in 2005 the Ministry of the Interior itself asked the Economy Ministry and the Cabinet Office to "provide the necessary instruments to incorporate the remaining balances" recorded since 1999, and Executed in that year.