Diario Libre reports that the government spent RD$1.8 billion more on fixed wages in January to May of this year than was disbursed for salaries during the same period last year. According to the National Budget, the government paid out RD$7.37 billion in wages, or 32.4% more than in 2002, not including any employee benefits. By the same calculation, the government spent an additional RD$1.8 billion in wages for special services and nominal employees (titular posts hired by the individual department heads, many with no set obligations).
The newspaper points out that last May, despite a ban on hiring nominal personnel, the government spent RD$285 million more on wages for these positions.
Also, the total government payroll increased RD$10.05 billion from January to May, accounting for more than 40% of the budget for the entire year.
Business sectors and economists have urged for a reduction in the government?s cliental practice as one way of solving the present economic crisis.
In his column in El Caribe today, economist Pedro Silverio, director of the Center for Economic Research of the Antilles (Cenantillas) of the PUCMM university, points out that the preliminary IMF agreement ignores, for the moment, the financial dilemma that the bloated government payroll represents.