2005 – Page 141

The news that President Leonel Fernandez has already issued Decree 336-05 pegging a US$10 surcharge to arrivals has been received as a bucket of cold water by the tourism sector. The increase would be double the US$5 originally proposed by the government and rejected by the hotel groups in May. The Ministry of Tourism has …

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European Union funds are behind the new effort to improve four gullies located in the Santo Domingo slums of Capotillo, Simon Bolivar and La Zurza. The resident in the environs of the gullies use these as garbage dumps, causing major health hazards to the barrios. The Sabamar program is an investment of RD$36 million, of …

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Deputy Pelegrin Castillo Seman in an interview in El Caribe today states that the DR needs to convince first world countries that the solution is not that the DR bear the burden of the Haitian crisis but rather that real help be provided to rebuild Haiti. He told the newspaper, “If you see your nearest …

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Dominican consul in Juana Mendez, Andres Bocio Fortuna told Listin Diario that requests for visas have declined considerably in recent months. He speculates that the Haitian nationals are using other ways to enter the DR. He said that in the first government of Fernandez (1996-2000), Haitians would make long lines to apply for the visas. …

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The Ministry of Environment announced a seasonal ban on the capture and sale of conch (lambi, strombus gigas). This is in effect from 1 July to 31 October. Consumers can contribute to the environmental cause and give conch time to reproduce by not buying the mollusk in restaurants and supermarkets. The ban also covers other …

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The National Police reported that during the first five months of the year there were 1,259 homicides, of a population of approximately nine million people. This is an average of 252 murders per month, or nine per day, as Hoy newspaper highlights in its editorial today. The newspaper considers that the statistics are alarming, especially …

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The Ministry of Interior & Police wants insurance companies to indemnify those injured by stray bullets, as reported in Diario Libre. The newspaper has proposed that each of the 14 companies that insure guns in the DR pay RD$50,000 for a total of RD$700,000 to the two children that were recently seriously injured by stray …

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President Leonel Fernandez described his project for the nation as one that can be synthesized in three ideas: institutional strengthing for democracy, growth and economic development and social equity. He spoke on his weekly TV program, “Agenda del Presidente.” He commented that the nation’s institutions are strengthened, permanent growth over 6% is guaranteed per year, …

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The Dominican tax codes have been modified eight times since 1983, to change the VAT and to resolve crisis in the system. None of the modifications created a tax system that was fair and guaranteed funds for social investments. The government has announced that it will submit the new tax package to the Congress in …

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Current Central Bank governor Hector Valdez Albizu wrote memorandum No. 11307, dated 30 March 1999, that has come back to haunt him. In that note he informed then President Leonel Fernandez that the Banco Intercontinental (Baninter) was in an “excellent” position. Valdez was referring to the process by which the difficulties of the Banco del …

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