The executive director of the Citizen Participation watchdog group, Rosalia Sosa Perez, said yesterday, Sunday 17 February, that the public wants to know who is really to blame for the huge fiscal deficit, estimated at more than RD$187 billion. This resulted in the imposition of a major tax increase on Dominicans that affected even basic food products in order to pay for the deficit.
She told reporters that during the meeting with the government Economic and Social Council (CES) on 10 October 2012, PC agreed to prepare a report outlining the amount of the fiscal deficit of 2012, identify the actions that led to it and evaluate its compatibility or not with the judicial order. The report was presented to the CES on 23 November. PC says they are now seeking to identify the individuals responsible in order to file lawsuits in the courts.
Sosa told reporters from El Nuevo Diario that PC recognizes that the Dominican Republic is currently in the worst of positions when it comes to corruption and fighting poverty as seen in international surveys. The World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index ranks the Dominican Republic as 142nd of 144 countries in the indicator of diversion of public funds, 144 of 144 in favoritism in decisions by government officials and 144 of 144 in wastefulness in government spending. President Leonel Fernandez led the country for the past eight years until his successor Danilo Medina, also from the PLD party, was voted in to lead the nation.
www.pciudadana.org/documentos/informaciones/39/Informe%20CES.pdf
www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GlobalCompetitivenessReport_2012-13.pdf