Economist Manuel Robles, who works for the Caribbean Center for Economic Research, has come out in support of a proposal that would permit the Customs Office to collect the new tax proposed by the Government, and that the tax could be applied to the Income Tax.
Robles also supported the idea first aired by the editors of Hoy that suggested that the tax be reduced from 4% to 2.5%. According to the economist, the tax is not just aimed at collecting money but also at making income tax payment more transparent. Internal Revenue director Juan Hern?ndez also supports the modifications as suggested by Hoy newspaper. Robles said that the approval of this tax is very important in order to put a halt to tax evasions that are so common. The tax will help identify the businesses that import goods and services without reporting on the profits resulting from their sale, thereby evading taxes. Robles pointed out that the tax would not affect companies that fulfill their tax obligations, since the taxes paid are income tax deductible. The economist also questioned the position of some businesspeople who say that such a tax would violate international commercial agreements. Robles was careful to point out that this was not an import tax but rather payment on account for the income tax indexed to the value of imported goods. This move will use the Customs people as receivers of the income tax, and have little or no effect on the poor.