Legal expert Claudia Alvarez Troncoso warns that Dominican legislators could be incurring in a violation of Law 155-17 against Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism. She was referring to irregularities in the legislators use of vehicular tax exemptions authorized by Law 57-96 when interviewed by Edith Febles and Huchi Lora for El Dia TV.
The expert in money laundering says it is normal for the deputies and senators to sell the exonerations of vehicles before the two years established by Law 57-96. She says this is fraud to the Dominican state.
She says the legislators commit prevarication because they abuse their positions as legislators to obtain benefits. She also says they incur in tax evasion when they transfer these tax exemptions to relatives and acquaintances.
During the interview, Álvarez Troncoso advocated penalizing deputies and senators who incur in these practices. She admitted, nevertheless, that the parliamentary immunity would be a stumbling block for a possible conviction.
Law 57-96 was passed in 1996 to replace a previous law that had set a ceiling of US$18,000 for the market price abroad of a vehicle that could be imported tax-free by the legislators, once during their four year term. Law 57-96 authorized that the legislators import two vehicles of any price or brand during their four year term in office. A legislator who is elected for two terms could import four vehicles. This has resulted in legislators importing more vehicles than they can use, and luxury vehicles such as McLarens, Porsche, Bentleys, Lamborghinis, and even buses and freight trucks for commercial use. The only requirement of the law is that the vehicle not be transferred until two years after it is imported.
Read more in Spanish:
N Digital
El Dia TV
Diario Libre
Law 57-96 on Vehicular Tax Exonerations for Legislators
El Nacional
30 September 2021