The highly influential committee of the ruling party, the PLD Political Committee, met last night, Monday 15 October. Party secretary general, senator Reinaldo Pared Perez told the press that the tax reform was the main item discussed. Pared Perez said that the membership of Vice President Margarita Cedeno de Fernandez was formalized during the meeting. The 26 members of the Political Committee announced their unanimous support for the tax reform proposal and the decision to remove basic foods from the list to be taxed. The Leonel Fernandez government levied five tax reforms on the Dominican people from 2004 to 2012. If approved, this will be Medina’s first.
Ligia Bonetti, president of the Dominican Republic Association of Industries (AIRD), highlighted the fact that government spending increased by 55% in the first eight months of the year. A 10% increase would have been normal.
Presidential press spokesman Roberto Rodriguez Marchena claimed yesterday that the Medina administration is implementing austerity in government and has already achieved savings of RD$6.9 billion.