The Senate approved a first reading of the fiscal reform bill, choosing not to make any change and retain the 25% surcharge on corn syrup imports. The surcharge has been the subject of debate by the US Trade Representative Office, who stated that such a feature would contradict agreements reached for the DR-CAFTA that was signed by the US and DR governments in August. The bill has already been approved in the Chamber of Deputies. The bill’s next test will be a second reading, which could happen today or tomorrow, and if gets approval there, it would be sent to the President for its conversion into law. The passage of the reform bill is a condition for the resumption of the International Monetary Fund stand-by agreement.