The Senate postponed the second reading of the tax reform proposals to allow the PRD party to regroup its members, who have been divided over the controversial tax on imported corn syrup. Andres Bautista, the Senate president, told Hoy reporters that the first vote on the bill, which contained the 25% tax on corn syrup, was not necessarily definitive. He pointed out that there were ten senators from an equal number of sugar-producing provinces. Puerto Plata Senator Tommy Duran (PRD) said the party would try to unite and smooth over the differences. The PRD leadership has formed an ad-hoc committee made up of Vicente Sanchez Baret, Milagros Ortiz Bosch, Angel Miolan, Tony Raful, Julio Marinez, and Jose Garcia Ramirez, who will meet with the PRD senators to try and devise some sort of compromise. Thirteen of the 29 PRD senators voted for the tax package and the 25% tax on corn syrup. Bautista had called for a brief “waiting period” to allow for lobbying and more negotiations. The Dominican Association of Ranchers and Farmers congratulated the Senate on the affirmative first vote on the tax bill.