The Senate suspended its Friday session when the minimum quorum of 17 senators was not met. The Senate session had been called to study the US’s opposition of the recently-ratified tax on corn syrup imports that would go into effect several years from now. As reported in the Listin Diario, only 12 senators turned up on Friday, while another 18 were discussing the bill in a city hotel. The corn syrup surcharge was the only topic on the agenda.
The senators had intended to gather to discuss the bill after US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick wrote to US Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, who represents the interests of US corn farmers, that steps were being taken to move forward, if necessary, with a regional free-trade agreement that includes the United States and our five Central American partners, but not the Dominican Republic.”
The Dominican Senate will not meet again until a group of its members who are currently in China have returned at the end of the month.
After the Senate approved the 25% tax on beverages containing high-fructose corn syrup as part of the tax reform, President Leonel Fernandez sent a bill to Congress that would eliminate the contentious surcharge.