The Chamber of Deputies approved a bill that authorizes the government to lend RD$1.2 billion for Christmas wages. Christmas wages of government institutions are part of the year’s annual budget. But apparently many institutions spend these funds otherwise and then appeal to the government to cover the Christmas wage for their employees.
Alfredo Pacheco, spokesman for the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), said: “The heads of government entities should know they have to put aside the funds to pay the Christmas wage. This is a demonstration of mismanagement,” he remarked. Nevertheless, he said party members would vote in favor.
Meanwhile, Juan Quiñones, spokesman for La Fuerza del Pueblo, expressed his concern regarding the high sum. He said many city governments do not even make payments to the Social Security Plan. He said these are the same city governments that do not make allotments for the paying of the 13th wage at the end of the year.
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Listin Diario
19 December 2019