Leonel Fernandez, presidential candidate of the PLD, won favor with businessmen last week, when he advocated the abolition of the consular invoice, or factura consular. The illegal government levy on imports favors those assigned to consulates abroad by way of personal enrichment, for past political support, to use the words of a former under minister of foreign relations, Fabio Herrera. The imposition has been criticized by all sectors of business. Last week the president of the Santiago industrial free zone, Fernando Capellán said that to favor five people, the government is affecting thousands of jobs and businesses throughout the country. Leonel Fernández pointed out that this type of levy has been eliminated in all other Latin American countries. Dominican importers must now pay a fine of RD$3,700 on each container that arrives without a so-called consular invoice.