The government has already accrued 58% of the initial budget scheduled for all of 2022 for the purpose of subsidizing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to households, being the highest percentage of the accrued budget for social programs of the Presidency this year .
Data provided by the General Directorate of the Budget (Digepres) on the subsidies covered this year, at the request of Diario Libre, indicate that the government budgeted 2,628 million pesos to subsidize LPG for households throughout this year, and as of December 22 Last April he had already accrued 1,532.8 million pesos of that amount.
The highest value of the LPG subsidy occurred between March and April, when 72% of what was consumed in the first four months was accrued.
On February 27, in his speech of accountability to the nation, President Luis Abinader announced the increase in a series of direct social aid to counteract the effects of inflation generated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Among these aids, he announced the immediate adjustment of the Bonogás subsidy from 228 to 470 pesos for all beneficiaries and the addition of 400,000 beneficiaries.
“This amount will be enough so that the beneficiaries can afford up to approximately half a 25-pound gas tank,” the president estimated at the time. He indicated that the last adjustment to that subsidy was made in 2008.
As of last March, there were 1,194,341 beneficiaries on the Bonogás subsidy payroll, more than the 936,704 registered a month earlier, according to a database published by the government on the Transparency portal of Supérate. 20% were in Santo Domingo.
The Supérate program began in May of last year, and came to replace the so-called “Comer es Primero” during the last PLD administration. When the current Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) government launched it, it was announced that it would reach one million households. Its amount was increased from 825 pesos to 1,650 pesos per month. The program also includes comprehensive support so that the beneficiaries can access education and employment.
For the Supérate program, the government set an initial budget of 32,277 million pesos for 2022, having already accrued 34.53%, according to Digepres data.
At a general level, it programmed an initial budget of 33,734.1 million pesos for social assistance, having earned 11,555.4 million, equivalent to 34%.
For aid to the elderly, 30% of the budget has been accrued, 24% of the LPG subsidy to the transport sector, 25% of the incentive for higher education, 39% of another incentive for the Preventive Police and 31.5% of another subvention to the enlisted of the Navy of War.
On the subsidy that the government applies to cover the rises in fuel prices every week, until last week it had assumed more than 9,000 million, reported the Minister of Finance.
