SANTO DOMINGO – A leading opposition legislator in the Dominican Republic has publicly slammed the sitting national government for rolling out what he describes as an untransparent, undeclared “covert tax reform” by incrementally raising a wide range of public levies, administrative fees, and essential public service costs without submitting a formal legislative tax overhaul for public debate. Senator Omar Fernández, who represents the capital’s National District constituency for the Fuerza del Pueblo (People’s Force) party, voiced his sharp criticism immediately after the executive branch unveiled upcoming adjustments to the annual vehicle circulation tax, which will see maximum payments rise by RD$1,000 for the 2026 to 2027 fiscal window. Fernández emphasized that the vehicle fee increase is far from an isolated policy change, pointing to a cascading series of recent cost hikes that have hit ordinary residents and local enterprises alike: elevated highway toll rates, expanded charges for bank transactions, higher mandatory construction supervision fees, and a 33% jump in the cost of official criminal background certificates from RD$600 to RD$800. He also highlighted the dramatic surge in the special mandatory contribution for solid waste management, noting that one local business saw its required annual payment for the scheme jump from RD$260,000 to RD$675,000 in a single adjustment. The lawmaker pushed back against any official justification that the new fees are needed to fill government revenue gaps, pointing out that total state income has been steadily climbing in recent periods. He posed a direct public challenge to the administration to explain why it is shifting additional financial burdens onto the public instead of addressing inefficiencies in how existing public funds are allocated and spent. “How much more of a financial toll must Dominican households and small businesses bear before the government finally masters responsible, accountable management of the significant revenues it already collects?” Fernández questioned during his public statement. He stressed that while the government has never formally tabled a comprehensive, publicly debated tax reform bill before congress, the cumulative weight of all these scattered fee and service price increases is creating unsustainable new financial strain for working families and small and medium-sized operations across the country. For continuous, on-the-ground coverage of Dominican political and policy developments, follow DominicanScope.
Omar Fernández accuses government of implementing a “covert tax reform”
