Press reports indicate that the export community is in
total opposition to the announced 5% surcharge on all exports, including
services. At the same time, an announcement by Elena Viyella de Paliza, the
president of CONEP, which welcomed President Mej?a?s acceptance of possible
alternatives as a positive move, also sparked hope for some sort of mutual
agreement on this crucial issue. The exporters, through their spokesman, Samir
Rizek, have said that the President?s proposal to remove the 5% surcharge if the
exporters sell their dollars at RD$24 to US$1 is not a viable solution to the
problem. Their position is that this would constitute a 10% tax on their
exports. For her part, Viyella greeted the President?s proposal as conciliatory.