Although the Dominican sugar producers are satisfied with the measure, the Senate is still the scene of embittered debates over the proposed 25% tax on imported corn syrup. On one hand, various local industries that use sweeteners in their products are anxious to acquire the syrup tax free, and the US embassy has repeatedly requested the inclusion of this clause under the terms of the Free Trade Agreement signed just last month. Sugar producers, cane growers and other agro-business advocates, however, wish to prevent the imports of the sweetener on a tax-free basis. Since the approval of the tax reform package being pushed through the Senate is hinging on this one issue, discussions have adopted a more heated tone. One proposal would tax soft drinks that use the corn syrup as a sweetener at the rate of 25%. Yesterday, Foreign Affairs Minister Carlos Morales Trocoso held a meeting with 20 members of the Agro-Business Board (JAD), where he explained that the warnings from the US embassy that pointed out that such a tax might well affect the viability of the Free Trade Agreement. The US considers the proposed tax to be discriminatory. Morales nevertheless said that it was a question of free enterprise and that the Dominican Republic was against unfair competition. Part of the problem is that the surcharge is aimed at High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) from the United States, and does not mention any of the other producers of HFCS, such as Canada or Mexico. The US represents 75% of the world production of this particular sweetener. The main point of the local sugar cultivators and refiners is that the corn syrup from the United States enjoys a 29% price subsidy. One of the stickier points brought up by Osmar Benitez, one of the negotiators during the Free Trade Talks, is that the corn used to produce HFCS has been genetically modified, and the jury is still out as to the possible long-term effects of this technology on human beings. Benitez said that none of this was discussed during the trade talks last winter and spring.