The Abinader administration seeks to increase taxes on the population to fund its programs. But the government rarely has considered streamlining government instead of raising taxes.
Economist Ellen Perez Ducy writes in Diario Libre on 31 October 2024 providing a clear example of the bloated government. She chose the government entity of the National Aquarium because the Aquarium listed first. She writes it is a clear indication of what is happening in government.
She writes that industry standards suggest that administrative staff should not exceed 15% of the total employment. Yet the National Aquarium, an educational, scientific, cultural and recreational institute, currently closed for remodeling for around a year, has a budget of RD$137 million, of which only 25% goes to technical staff. The National Aquarium houses around 3,250 tropical species.
Perez Ducy writes that the administrative payroll absorbs most of Aquarium’s budget. She writes that 70 of the 99 employees have functions classified as ‘General Management, Administrative, and Financial’, and only 29 have technical functions, including two secretaries and a driver, or about a quarter of the total staff.
She concludes that evaluating the management of the state is an essential requirement to make public spending more efficient and then determine the missing income.
Recently, public uproar led the government to remove its proposal for increased taxation.
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
5 November 2024