2004 – Page 114

Nine heads of government have confirmed their attendance for the inauguration of President-elect Leonel Fernandez. El Caribe newspaper reports that Alvaro Uribe (Colombia), Mireya Moscoso (Panama), Ricardo Maduro (Honduras), Abel Pacheco (Costa Rica), Jorge Batlle (Uruguay), Oscar Berger (Guatemala) and Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva (Brasil) will travel to the DR to witness the ceremonies …

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Ines Aizpun, the deputy executive editor at Diario Libre, writes today on the various styles of Presidents. She comments on how President Hipolito Mejia has always been on time at official events, willing to cut any activity short with a quick comment. This is in contrast to the past record of President Leonel Fernandez, who …

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The National Symphony Orchestra will perform on Friday, 6 August at the main hall of the National Theater in Santo Domingo on occasion of its 63rd anniversary. The concert is free of charge. Dante Cucurullo will direct a mix of lively pieces, including several by Dominican maestro Bienvenido Bustamante, such as Santo Domingo, Triptico Sinfonico, …

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The scarcity of propane gas for vehicular and home use, the dearth of gasolines and diesel fuels in many of the service stations and the continuing prolonged blackouts are wearing down the people of the Dominican Republic. All the newspapers over the weekend and today carry stories of the results of these scarcities. Hoy says …

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On Saturday, people from the upper middle- and upper-class residential neighborhoods carried out their first public demonstration, tying up traffic along some of the major arteries of Santo Domingo. Hoy reports that hundreds of demonstrators blocked Winston Churchill Avenue. The protesters said that because they live in what are called ?exclusive? residential areas, their electric …

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The Young Entrepreneurs? Association (ANJE) called attention to the obvious double taxation of salaries contained in the tax reform proposal being debated in Congress, which would authorize a RD$15-per-RD$1,000 tax on wages that are withdrawn electronically. ANJE spokesperson Manuel Diez pointed out how confusing the new proposals are becoming, referring to the proposed 0.15% tax …

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The frontier region rose up in protest over the provision that would put an end to Law 28-01, which provides important incentives for business and industries to establish their operations there. Romualdo Estevez, one of the very first to set up shop along the frontier, as well as the current president of the Frontier Business …

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While it appears that everyone wants a tax reform, they only want the one that suits their independent interests. El Caribe points out that the VAT tax (called ITBIS) has been one of the most debated themes of the current discussions. ANJE wants a wider tax base and a lower tax, but the Homemakers? Association …

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The PLD intends to provide a subsidized propane supply that is focused solely on the poor. Some five proposals for tax reform and a superior economic model point out that the generalized subsidy has not fulfilled its designated social purpose. Most of the major proposals that have been submitted to the Special Finance Commission of …

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The negotiation to come up with US$100 million is a shortcut that will produce great humiliation, according to Claudio Cabrera, an economic journalist for Hoy. Cabrera says that if the country does not conclude the second review of the IMF Standby Accord after the tax reforms are passed, the Dominican Republic could well fall into …

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