Former governor of the Central Bank and vice president of the Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC), Luis Toral has urged President Leonel Fernandez to take the mafia that controls the energy sector in the DR by the horns. He said that there are more than US$50 billion in disguised taxes that the people are paying when purchasing such expensive power.
As reported in Listin Diario, Toral says that the government is levying an additional 3.22 cents on consumer electricity bills when the Electricity Law establishes the complete opposite. . “That adds up to US$923 million a year, or RD$33 billion more than they are milking the Dominican people for. They are saying they need US$700 million for the electricity subsidy, but that is to give it to the wealthy, not the poor,” he said while being interviewed on the Aeromundo TV program. He mentioned the law establishes that power distribution companies should reimburse consumers with 150% of the hours of free service for blackouts these deliver.