NewsWhore
06-01-2009, 06:20 PM
He didn't say anything new, but the fact that it came from Jose Miguel Bonetti of Mercasid, one of the leading companies and a long-time supporter of the Fernandez administration, and that the comment was made in the presence of President Leonel Fernandez and First Lady Margarita Cedeno on occasion of the 47th anniversary of the Dominican Republic Industries Association (AIRD), made all the difference. Bonetti addressed those present, and at one point commented: "We can't transport ourselves in 21st century equipment like metros, when young people in most households in the Dominican Republic have to study by candlelight. It is time to change the vision in search of solutions," he said.
In his talk, Bonetti pointed out that the country has one of the worst power services in the world with blackouts, high costs, an excessive and unnecessary government bureaucracy, a large part of the population that does not pay for the services, and losses on transmission lines of power supplied. He said that today taxpayers make hefty contributions to "a parasitical bureaucracy at Edenorte, Edesur and in the ever-increasing new departments of the government energy bureaucracy", as reported in El Caribe. He described the nationalization of the power distributors Edesur and Edenorte seven years ago as "unfortunate" and said that one only has to compare the number of employees before and after the government takeover.
Bonetti recommended that the government get out of the business of power production and distribution in a transparent way. He argued that the government has failed badly in these, obliging the population to pay the price of inefficiency in taxes and inflation, as reported in Hoy.
He said the business sector is concerned about the recent US$26 million purchase of the AES Ede-Este power distributor by the state.
In his opinion, the energy issue is the greatest challenge for manufacturers, and the Dominican people can't rely on an efficient service.
Bonetti said that any agreement the government reaches with the International Monetary Fund should not entail a tax increase or additional charges. He said he was in favor of an agreement, as it would help the country withstand the negative effects of the crisis and maintain macro-economic stability and a flow of fresh funds. He said that it is not enough to achieve macro-economic stability; the country must strive for this to be based on development and sustainable growth of productive sectors.
He called for increased judicial security, efficient transport of cargo and better access to financing.
During the event, the AIRD launched the George Arzeno Brugal Award for Journalism for a praise-worthy investigative journalism piece.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#2)
In his talk, Bonetti pointed out that the country has one of the worst power services in the world with blackouts, high costs, an excessive and unnecessary government bureaucracy, a large part of the population that does not pay for the services, and losses on transmission lines of power supplied. He said that today taxpayers make hefty contributions to "a parasitical bureaucracy at Edenorte, Edesur and in the ever-increasing new departments of the government energy bureaucracy", as reported in El Caribe. He described the nationalization of the power distributors Edesur and Edenorte seven years ago as "unfortunate" and said that one only has to compare the number of employees before and after the government takeover.
Bonetti recommended that the government get out of the business of power production and distribution in a transparent way. He argued that the government has failed badly in these, obliging the population to pay the price of inefficiency in taxes and inflation, as reported in Hoy.
He said the business sector is concerned about the recent US$26 million purchase of the AES Ede-Este power distributor by the state.
In his opinion, the energy issue is the greatest challenge for manufacturers, and the Dominican people can't rely on an efficient service.
Bonetti said that any agreement the government reaches with the International Monetary Fund should not entail a tax increase or additional charges. He said he was in favor of an agreement, as it would help the country withstand the negative effects of the crisis and maintain macro-economic stability and a flow of fresh funds. He said that it is not enough to achieve macro-economic stability; the country must strive for this to be based on development and sustainable growth of productive sectors.
He called for increased judicial security, efficient transport of cargo and better access to financing.
During the event, the AIRD launched the George Arzeno Brugal Award for Journalism for a praise-worthy investigative journalism piece.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#2)