New Tax in Cabarete ! Can this be legal ?

I see there are already objections to the increase in charges for rubbish collection
Puerto Plata Digital

The business owner in question says her monthly bill has gone from RD$300 to RD$900. Not sure where she gets RD$900 from because according to Junta Distrital's website it is RD$500 for a small business & RD$1000 for a medium sized one.

It appears there is discontent because no-one was consulted about privatising the rubbish collection.

As to the legality issues - wait for Dr. Guzman to comment.

What a laugh! I?d be happy to pay a RD$300 for rubbish collection. We have to take ours over a kilometre to an overflowing rubbish dump here in Las Terrenas.

windfinder said:

Here a link to the proposed new Taxes the Junta Distrital want's to implement.

Tasas y Arbitrios - Servicios Municipales - Junta Distrital de Cabarete

Click to expand...

In answer to your question, can this be legal, the following organisations think it is not - Asociaci?n de Desarrollo de Cabarete, Asociaci?n de Hoteles y Restaurantes Sosua y Cabarete, Asociaci?n de Desarrollo de Sosua, Corporaci?n Empresas Tur?sticas de Cabarete and Asociaci?n para la Protecci?n al Medio Ambiente y el Turismo and they are taking legal action
http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/noticias/nacionales/Septiembre%202008/CabareteJuntadistrital/Declaracion%20de%20Prensa%20Cabarete.doc

In the meanwhile they advise 'Las entidades representativas de Cabarete, exhortan a la poblaci?n a no dejarse intimidar y a no pagar un solo centavo adicional a lo que siempre han pagado a la Junta Distrital de Cabarete.'

More info here:
Puerto Plata Digital

http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/noticias/nacionales/Septiembre%202008/CabareteJuntadistrital/Resolucion%2007-08%20Sobre%20Tarifas%20y%20arbitrios.pdf

http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/noticias/nacionales/Septiembre%202008/CabareteJuntadistrital/Resolucion%2005-08%20sobre%20recoleccion%20desechos%20solidos.pdf

A very recent decision of the Dominican Supreme Court (Sept. 10, 2008) states that municipalities cannot create new taxes unless they have been approved by the National Development Council ("Consejo Nacional de Desarrollo") and the Executive, pursuant to Art. 85 of the Constitution and Law #180 of 1966.

Apparently, the new taxes enacted in Cabarete did not go through this procedure and therefore should be null and void. For more details and the full text of the decision, go to
Noticias

Disclosure: My firm Guzm?n Ariza may be involved in the suit to void the new taxes.