On the heels of the speech, it seems that both Elena Viyella and Miguel Cocco Guerrero are on the same page with reference to the tax called the Exchange Commission (recargo cambiario). That is, a tax on the dollars used to purchase merchandise overseas. This tax, originally instituted as a “temporary” surcharge, was recently raised to 13% of the value of the merchandise.
Cocco told Hoy reporters that the government was willing to change the tax, but the private sector had to find ways to substitute the RD$18 billion income that the tax produces. Viyella is also in favor of modifying the tax and looking for new ways to bring in those RD$18 billion. In her statement, Viyella said that “we (CONEP) support the idea of looking for alternatives and also the need to bring in those that are not paying, of simplifying the system and that the collections increase by way of a more transparent tax rate or better administration.”
She called for the state to become more competitive and efficient in the same way that Dominican businesses have to do in order to compete on the world markets.