Airline tickets issued in the Dominican Republic now cost about 13% more as a result of the devaluation of the Dominican peso by the Central Bank. Prior to the devaluation, the government authorized airlines to apply a RD$13.60 rate to the calculation of airfares in Dominican pesos. The government increased this to RD$15.35 this week, almost a 13% increase. The Dominican Association of Travel Agents (ADAVIT) urged the Presidency to promulgate the bill approved by Congress in June that reduces the tax on airline tickets from 20% to 10%. The reduction in the tax would balance out the negative effect of the devaluation on the cost of travel originating in the Dominican Republic. Several travelers get around the higher cost of the tickets by purchasing only a short leg of the trip here (for example Santo Domingo-San Juan), and then buying the rest of the fare abroad.
