Temistocles Montas, the President’s chief economic advisor, continues to argue that if Congress does not approve the fiscal reform package, the future is dark for the Dominican Republic. Appearing before the leaders of the Chamber of Deputies, Montas, Taxes Department director Juan Hernandez and Customs director Miguel Cocco told the deputies that they are looking for income of RD$175 billion next year, but the government payroll, the foreign debt, local subsidies, and other goods and services will exceed that amount. As a result, if the deputies do not approve the new tax package, the country will, public finances and the IMF agreement will all fail. Montas said that there would be problems of governance and economic stability. The three economic leaders talked with Alfredo Pacheco and Marino Collante, the Chamber of Deputies president and the head of the finance committee.
Montas revealed that the government can only spend RD$186 billion of its income, because it is obliged to produce a fiscal surplus according to the IMF agreement. Of the RD$168 billion, there are RD$18 billion that have to go to independent institutions, and that leaves the government with just RD$150 billion to spend. Of that amount RD$54 billion go to pay the foreign debt, RD$40 billion go to pay the pay roll, RD$43 billion in transfers for things like the gas and electricity subsidies and RD$23 billion for goods and services.