The government could have cut the ITBIS tax in 2015 to comply with Law 253-12, but will be acting on the provision that made the decline in the tax conditional on achieving a 16% tax burden in 2015. As reported, the tax burden is 14%. In the DR, a small sector bears a much higher tax burden, but when spread over the economic population, a relatively low average of 14% is reported.
Furthermore, National Commercial Businesses Organization (ONEC) president Ernesto Martinez says that the tax burden will never truly reflect the taxes that are paid until there is a reduction in informal operations. Most businesses in the DR are informal and Martinez said that if the government had chosen to reduce the ITBIS the economy would have grown.
Tax Reform Law 253-12 establishes an increase in the ITBIS from 11% to 13% for selection of items. Other items, including milk, coffee, oil, sugar, chocolate, that paid 8% in 2014 will now be taxed at 16%.
The government told Diario Libre that the formal announcement would be made on Monday 22 December 2014.
http://www.diariolibre.com/economia/2014/12/19/i933051_gobierno-mantendr-cobro-del-itbis-porque-logr-meta.html