President Hipolito Mejia will submit to Congress today the Fiscal Year 2001 budget bill. The budget proposal calls for expenditures in excess of DR$65 billion (around US$3.9 billion). Yesterday’s congressional approval of the so-called "paquetazo" of tax and fiscal reform removed the last obstacle to its consideration, since Mejia is expected to sign the tax bill as soon as it arrives on his desk. The budget bill, largest in the nation’s history, would not be viable without the additional revenue anticipated as a result of the enactment of the "paquetazo." Senators Dagoberto Rodriguez Adames (PRD Independencia Province) and Cesar Augusto Matias (PRD Valverde Province), the budget bill will be submitted to a bicameral committee of Congress for review and public hearings.
