President Danilo Medina said that Decree 499-12 that has been extended into December focuses on rationalizing spending in government. He said the government is not applying austerity policies and that the extension would not affect the dynamics of the economy. The measure bans donations and contributions from third parties, purchase of new vehicles, gifts including at Christmastime, and limits credit card use through December.
Medina inherited a government that the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2013-2014 ranks the country 138th on a list of 145 countries in the wastefulness of government spending category.