2000 – Page 33

The government?s long awaited ?maxi-package? (paquetazo) of new taxes and tax reforms was unveiled in its entirety last night, as President Hipolito Mejia took to the airwaves for the second consecutive night. The president told TV viewers and radio listeners that he will ask Congress to approve a 50% increase of the ?Transferencia de Bienes …

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Some hours before his TV appearance, President Hipolito Mejia met with an invited group of business representatives to defend his plan to assess a 2% monthly tax on wholesale commerce. Mejia told officers of the Dominican Businessmen?s Federation, the Dominican Federation of Retailers, and various wholesalers? associations that ?everyone? had accepted the increase in the …

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Today?s morning newspapers carried pictures of a smiling George W. Bush on their front papers, together with congratulatory headlines, and lengthy articles explaining how the Texas governor had pulled off a narrow victory from a tight race with Vice President Al Gore. Editorial deadlines for the morning papers apparently coincided with the moment during the …

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The two former police officers who have spent the past ten days ensconced in the Dominican embassy in Port-au-Prince found their way to the border city of Jimani, where they were received by military and diplomatic personnel, and flown to Santo Domingo in helicopters. The pair, Gilbert Dragon and Ralph Phetiere, are said to be …

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In what must be regarded as a preface to his proposed tax package and fiscal reforms, President Hipolito Mejia went on TV and radio last night to excoriate the administration of President Leonel Fernandez for ?inherited evils.? Mejia said that the previous government left unpaid bills of DR$7.246 billion, and a public debt amounting to …

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Though the Mejia administration has yet to reveal the specifics of its proposed tax and economic reforms, public demonstrations are anticipated in response. Traditionally, in the DR, new programs and policies expected to affect the consumer?s pocketbook are greeted by rowdy demonstrations. Speaking at yesterday?s cabinet meeting in San Cristobal, the Interior and Police Minister, …

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The President of the Dominican Association of Jornalists (CDP) charged that there ?are troubling signs? that the government is heading toward a confrontation with the press, and he urged President Hipolito Mejia to take the necessary steps to avert it. Jose Tejeda Gomez reported that his group?s executive committee had reviewed a series of recent …

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