BUENOS AIRES, Dec 13 Reuters The relentless pace of creeping prices in Argentina provides the new president39;s plan for immediate shock therapy little margin for error, with many citizens already wondering how they will survive annual inflation nearing 150.

President Javier Milei39;s economy chief laid out the new government39;s initial policy push on Tuesday, targeting deep cuts to public spending and a sharp currency devaluation that will stoke shortterm inflation as it hopes to staunch the bleeding in the country39;s worst economic crisis in decades.

Economy Minister Luis Caputo, like Milei in his first few days on the job, announced the value of the peso currency will be halved, public work tenders halted and energy and transport subsidies reduced.

The government will also, however, double social spending for the poorest.

What I see is everything getting more expensive almost every day, and I don39;t know for how long we39;ll be able to make it, because if salaries stay low and prices keep rising there won39;t be enough to eat, said 63yearold retiree Maria Cristina Coronel.

Just to survive, many people are scouring markets in a race against time to find the best prices, which are updated daily in many stores.

The country39;s annual inflation rate is approaching 150 and the poverty rate at 40 and growing, as many pin their hopes on Milei39;s turnaround pitch, though he has said things will get worse before they get better.

In his inaugural address on Sunday,…