President-elect Leonel Fernandez and President Hipolito Mejia will get together to discuss the tax reform package being requested by the International Monetary Fund and the business and commercial sectors of the Dominican Republic. Apparently, Monsignor Agripino Nunez Collado had a hand in scheduling the meeting over the insistence of President Mejia that he would not have anything to do with the tax reform bill.
Monsignor Nunez told reporters that the meeting will not take place until after 20 June, when President-elect Fernandez returns from a planned trip abroad ? his second time abroad since the elections.
In preparation for his meeting this morning with President Mejia, the cleric said that what the business community and the IMF are looking for is to get some concrete decisions regarding the drafting of the tax reform legislation.
Nunez Collado said that during a recent workshop organized by business organization CONEP with the President-elect, the business community outlined their viewpoints with regards to new taxes and collections for the new tax bill. Fernandez, however, demanded specific numbers on these points, which is the issue to be dealt with at this time, according to the monsignor.
The announcement of a summit meeting comes at a time of increased tensions between the two factions of the Transition Committee, as evidenced by the contradictory statements issued by each side with regard to the economic situation of the country.