President Hipólito Mejía announced for 16 December the first of a series of encounters to prepare "a National Development Agenda" for the short, medium and long term. "We will sit down to discuss a plan to improve the nation’s competitiveness," he said. He commented that import duties on inputs will drop as a consequence of the tariff bills expected to be approved by Congress. He said the reduction in tariffs is expected to improve the nation’s competitiveness and facilitate integration with the Caribbean and Central American markets. President Mejía addressed the American Chamber of Commerce, rendering a talk titled "New Economic Order, Modernization and Transparency." As reported in El Caribe newspaper, he promised corruption would not go without punishment in his government. He said that to confront corruption it is not enough to penalize those found guilty. He said there is a need to dismantle the practices and habits that permit the practice. He said that his government is implementing institutional reforms to make the state more efficient, trustworthy and transparent. He feels the reforms will establish the base for the clean up of government finances and will boost the economy.
