Businessman Andrés Dauhajre, who is regarded as the spokesman for the importers associations, says that in stead of advancing, the DR is moving backwards in the implementation of modern economic policies. In an interview with Hoy newspaper, he said that while President Leonel Fernández preaches on the importance of getting on the bandwagon of global markets, his ministers implement measures to the contrary. Dauhajre mentioned several contradictions. He spoke of the minister of agriculture favoring setting import quotas and import permissions, when the President is advocating reductions of import tariffs. He was very critical of the bill in Congress that seeks to protect the local milk producers, by regulating how much milk a company can import, assigning 50% of import duties and taxes on imported milk to the milk producers. In the DR, primarily because of the deficient power situation, an estimated 75% of milk consumption is in the form of powdered milk. He also criticized the 3.25% increase in the exchange rate commission that will result in less competitive Dominican exports as the imported component of export goods increases. He also spoke of the creating of private and mixed monopolies. He said that what would have been best was an open and competitive capitalization of the state electricity utility, and not the capitalization where the state utility assigned to two private companies, that have created regional monopolies. Dauhajre feels the ideal situation would have been to open the electricity market, permitting anyone to produce and distribute power. In his opinion, the best way to improve living conditions here is to foster competition, with equal opportunities for all.
