ine ▁b onds ▁for ▁US $ 1 . 6 ▁billion . ▁As ▁of ▁mid - 2 0 0 8 ▁Venezuela ▁hold ▁an ▁estimated ▁US $ 6 ▁billion ▁in ▁Argent ine ▁deb t . ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 6 , ▁Argentina ▁re - enter ed ▁international ▁deb t ▁mark ets ▁s elling ▁US $ 5 0 0 ▁million ▁of ▁its ▁Bon ar ▁V ▁five - year ▁doll ar ▁denomin ated ▁b onds , ▁with ▁a ▁yield ▁of ▁ 8 . 3 6 %, ▁mostly ▁to ▁foreign ▁banks ▁and ▁Mo ody ' s ▁boost ed ▁Argentina ' s ▁deb t ▁rating ▁to ▁B ▁from ▁B -. ▁ ▁In ▁early ▁ 2 0 0 7 ▁the ▁administration ▁began ▁inter fer ing ▁with ▁infl ation ▁estimates . ▁ ▁Fern ande z ▁administration ▁ ▁In ▁December ▁ 1 0 , ▁ 2 0 0 7 , ▁Crist ina ▁Fernández ▁de ▁Kirch ner ▁became ▁president . ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 8 ▁the ▁rural ▁sector ▁mobil ized ▁against ▁a ▁resolution ▁that ▁would ▁have ▁increased ▁the ▁export ▁tax ▁rate ▁on ▁so y bean ▁exports ▁from ▁ 3 5 % ▁to ▁ 4 4 . 1 %. ▁Ult imately , ▁the ▁new ▁tax ation ▁regime ▁was ▁abandoned . ▁Official ▁Argent ine ▁statistics ▁are ▁believed ▁to ▁have ▁significantly ▁under report ed ▁infl ation ▁since ▁ 2 0 0 7 , ▁and ▁independent ▁econom ists ▁publishing ▁their ▁own ▁estimates ▁of ▁Argent ine ▁infl ation ▁have ▁been ▁threatened ▁with ▁fin es ▁and ▁pro sec ution . ▁ ▁In ▁October ▁ 2 0 0