2006 – Page 21

Writing in El Caribe newspaper, lawyer Marisol Vicens Bello says that the austerity plan announced by the President is doubtful at best. Vicens points out that many of the President’s proposals contain loopholes that would allow for things to continue as usual, regardless of the situation. Vicens points out that government salaries won’t have to …

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The cost of owning a car will increase by 15% to 20%, according to the Association for Vehicle Concessionaires (Acofave) due to the proposed “right to circulate” tax included in the new fiscal reform. Acofave executive vice president Enriquez Fernandez says that this added RD$5 tax on fuel would not only affect transportation but foods, …

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Even the free trade zones (FTZ) are expressing opposition to the reform. Business leaders linked with the work at the FTZ say that the fiscal reform, especially the elimination of exemptions contemplated by law 28-01, could have alarming repercussions on FTZ, and that many of the FTZ would not be prepared for such result, forcing …

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PRSC Presidential pre-candidate Eduardo Estrella is asking the government to explain what it has done with the funds resulting from the Petrocaribe agreement signed with Venezuela, calculated at more than US$400 million. As reported in today’s Hoy, Estrella said that the government is taking on debt for US$4 to US$5 billion as a result of …

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Following the firing of journalist Adolfo Salomon from his job at ColorVision, leading journalists are highlighting the government’s apparent lack of tolerance. Rafael Molina Morillo, president of the Inter-American Press Association, (IAPA) criticized the Armed Forces Minister. Molina Morillo, of the editorial director of Hoy, El Nacional and El Dia publications, said that Lieutenant General …

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Foreign Relations Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso, a former sugar cane industry executive, highlighted the fact that the trend is for increased investments in farming mechanization that will eliminate the need for Haitian labor in sugar cane fields. Dominicans reject the hard work of sugar cane cutting, which has led to thousands of Haitians being allowed …

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Doctors at the Dominican Social Security Institute demonstrated in front of the Presidential Palace yesterday, but ended their strike after receiving the news from Presidential Administrative Secretary Luis Manuel Bonetti that the government would concede to their demands tomorrow at the very latest. A total of 121 hospitals and clinics were affected by the strike, …

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Harvard University, Unibe University and Plaza de la Salud have signed an agreement that seeks to strengthen the services provided at the Dominican Republic’s emergency rooms. A pilot program at Plaza de la Salud will place Harvard medics at the hospitals’ emergency rooms, in order to help Dominican medics treat patients. El Caribe writes that …

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Monsignor Agripino Nunez Collado is asking that journalist Adolfo Salomon be reinstated in his post at Color Vision, saying that Salomon had done nothing wrong. The Monsignor says that he was surprised by the letter written by the Armed Forces Minister, as well as the reaction from Color Vision’s owners, which was to fire Salomon, …

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In a press release, the Cerveceria Nacional Dominicana (that produces Presidente beer) says that beer drinkers will be most affected by the fiscal reform, estimating that they will pay more than 36% of RD$ 17.5 billion the government is trying to collect. Currently there is a tax on beer depending on the percentage of alcohol, …

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