Santo Domingo, Dom. Rep. -Without the support of the main opposition parties, the Chamber of Deputies approved the draft law on General State Budget (PGE) for the year 2023 and its addendum.
After 18 rounds of debates, the Plenary accepted the favorable report rendered by the special bicameral commission chaired by Deputy Francisco Javier-Frank-Paulino (PRM) and also the piece. It had 100 votes in favor, 62 against and one abstention.
The initiative was submitted by the Executive Branch, through the Treasuryon September 28 via Chamber of Deputiesand its purpose is to approve the PGE for the budget year of 2023 for the central government, the autonomous and decentralized non-financial organizations, and the public institutions of social security.
The bill contains the estimates of income and consolidated financial sources made up of those of the central government, autonomous and decentralized non-financial organizations and public social security institutions for an amount of RD$1,479,119,199,771 (one million four hundred and seventy-nine million one thousand one hundred nineteen million ninety-nine thousand seven hundred).
Said amount is with the sum of the consolidated income, which will be for RD$1,115,861,338,883; and consolidated sources, for RD$363,257,860,888.
In the initiative, the Executive Branch is authorized, through the Ministry of Finance, to order the elimination of public debt securities for an amount of RD$ 363,257,860,888 or its equivalent in foreign currency, to be placed in the local market as in the international of capitals.
The deputies José Horacio Rodríguez (OD) and Félix Castillos (PLD) submitted two proposals to modify the legislative document, which were rejected by the Plenary.
Likewise, the former president of the Chamber of Deputies and member of the bicameral commission, Radhamés Camacho, submitted a dissident report, which had the same fate.
favorable report
The favorable report of the special bicameral commission was signed by the pro-government congressmen, but not by the opposition, which voted against. Only 17 legislators members of the committee signed the report, out of the 29 that make it up.
The bicameral commission, in addition to deputy Frank Paulino, is made up of legislators Antonio Manuel Taveras Guzmán, its vice president; Alexis Victoria Yeb, Amado Antonio Díaz, Brenda Mercedes Ogando, Casimiro Antonio Marte, Dionis Alfonso Sánchez, Franklin Martín Romero, Geraldo Antonio Concepción, Gustavo Antonio Sánchez, as well as Héctor Darí Feliz.
Also part of the team are José Antonio Castillo, José Francisco Santana, José Horacio Rodríguez, José Manuel del Castillo Saviñón, Juan Julio Campos, Lucrecia Santana, Luis Manuel Henríquez, Luis Rafael Sánchez, Lupe Núñez Rosario, Mateo Evangelista Espaillat, Melania Salvador Jiménez, Miguel Alberto Bogaert, Milcíades Marino Fanjul, Napoleón López Rodríguez, Omar Leonel Fernández, Pedro Tomás Botello, Radhamés Camacho and Ramón Antonio Bueno.
Addendum
The changes suggested by the Executive are contemplated in articles 58 and 64. In the first, the part where it says: “It is temporarily modified” is changed to “It is suspended during fiscal year 2023”.
While, in article 64, the National Public Defense Office is added to the list of institutions that will have the use of the Financial Management Information System (Sigef).
dissidences
The former president of the Chamber of Deputies and member of the special bicameral commission, Radhamés Camacho (PLD), presented a dissenting report to the bill of the General State Budget for the year 2023.
In his report, Camacho denounced that the piece, as it is a specific bill for a single year, is ordinary in nature, however, it modifies organic laws. He cited articles 44 and 58 of the initiative.
Regarding article 58 of the Budget, which seeks to modify Law No. 176-07, of the National District and Municipalities, the legislator indicated that the reform of this article contravenes the Constitution, “since the aforementioned law is of an organic nature , and the budget is an ordinary law”. In this sense, he added that the Constitutional Court “has issued various rulings referring to the constitutional aspect, such as rulings TC-035914 and TC052014.”
In the same way, it stated that the content of article 44, which establishes the annulment of the inflation adjustment provided for in paragraph I of article 296, of Law 11-92, which approves the Tax Code of the Dominican Republic; “This law is an organic law.”
He explained that the PGE for 2023 is a specific bill for a single year and its nature is of an ordinary nature, therefore, the modification to that article must be through an organic law vote.
According to the legislator, the decision of the dissident report was due to the fact that a proposal that he made to the commissioners on the importance of reviewing the legal regulations with more opportunity, analysis and weighting of information from state bodies in charge of items was not accepted. important.
Among them, he cited the ministries of Education; Public health; Interior and Police (Citizen Security); Industry and Commerce (Fuel subsidy); and Energy and Mines (electric subsidy).
On his side, the deputy José Horacio Rodríguez, from Opción Democrática (OD), deplored the modification of the aforementioned Law 11-92, which consigns the project in its article 44, which leaves without effect the adjustment for inflation in the salary scale recorded with income tax, established in the first paragraph of article 296 of the Tax Code.
Given this, he proposed an amendment, where he asked that said article be eliminated so that said adjustment can be applied.
“I want to say, colleagues, that your voters, your constituents are going to thank you. The population has suffered the consequences of inflation and the rise in the price of products; their salaries are now worth less, ”he assured.
At the end of the work, Alfredo Pacheco closed the session and convened for next Tuesday at 11:00 in the morning.
