NewsWhore
04-30-2010, 06:00 PM
Civil society group Participacion Ciudadana said that between 2002 and 23 October 2009 Dominican legislators imported 678 luxury vehicles, including Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, Rolls Royces, Bentley Continentals, Mercedes Benzes, Lexus and BMWs.
The legislators are allowed 100% tax exemptions on vehicles every two years during their term. This means that legislators elected for the six-year period starting 16 August 2010 can import three luxury vehicles tax free. Participacion Ciudadana says that without the exemptions, the vehicles would have paid more than RD$1 billion in taxes.
Participacion Ciudadana says the law should be revoked. The original law that authorized the import of the vehicle restricted this to a value of US$3,000 once every four years and banned its sale to third parties. In a modification made in 1987, the law authorized import of vehicles worth up to US$18,000, but the limit on the value was eliminated in 1996. The law does establish that the vehicles cannot be sold until two years after the purchase by the legislator.
"What is most serious in this case is that in most cases the exonerated vehicle is not for the legislator's use. On numerous occasions it has been proven that the tax exemptions granted to the legislators are sold to third parties, a sale that while not illegal, is lacking in ethics and unjustifiable because these government officials are not supposed to profit at the expense of the state. There have even been cases in which these luxury vehicles have passed on to powerful characters, often without being able to legally establish the sources for the capital," says Participacion Ciudadana.
"In the past two years alone, that is in the period 2008-2009, legislators have purchased 149 luxury vehicles worth RD$549 million, which would have paid RD$300 million in taxes. These figures are scandalous, especially when compared to the poverty level in which a large part of the population lives in the communities these people say they represent," states the civic group.
The luxury vehicles of choice in the 2008-2009 purchases are: Mercedes Benz (66), Lexus SUV (24), Porsche SUV (13), Land Rover SUV (10), Toyota Land Cruiser (8), Nissan (7), Maserati (6), BMW SUV (4), Bentley Continental (4), Ferrari (3), Rolls Royce (2), Dodge Pick Up (1), Lamborghini (1).
www.pciudadana.com/noticias/Noticias_2010/... (http://www.pciudadana.com/noticias/Noticias_2010/noticas_Abril_2010/noticias_29-04-2010.htm)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)
The legislators are allowed 100% tax exemptions on vehicles every two years during their term. This means that legislators elected for the six-year period starting 16 August 2010 can import three luxury vehicles tax free. Participacion Ciudadana says that without the exemptions, the vehicles would have paid more than RD$1 billion in taxes.
Participacion Ciudadana says the law should be revoked. The original law that authorized the import of the vehicle restricted this to a value of US$3,000 once every four years and banned its sale to third parties. In a modification made in 1987, the law authorized import of vehicles worth up to US$18,000, but the limit on the value was eliminated in 1996. The law does establish that the vehicles cannot be sold until two years after the purchase by the legislator.
"What is most serious in this case is that in most cases the exonerated vehicle is not for the legislator's use. On numerous occasions it has been proven that the tax exemptions granted to the legislators are sold to third parties, a sale that while not illegal, is lacking in ethics and unjustifiable because these government officials are not supposed to profit at the expense of the state. There have even been cases in which these luxury vehicles have passed on to powerful characters, often without being able to legally establish the sources for the capital," says Participacion Ciudadana.
"In the past two years alone, that is in the period 2008-2009, legislators have purchased 149 luxury vehicles worth RD$549 million, which would have paid RD$300 million in taxes. These figures are scandalous, especially when compared to the poverty level in which a large part of the population lives in the communities these people say they represent," states the civic group.
The luxury vehicles of choice in the 2008-2009 purchases are: Mercedes Benz (66), Lexus SUV (24), Porsche SUV (13), Land Rover SUV (10), Toyota Land Cruiser (8), Nissan (7), Maserati (6), BMW SUV (4), Bentley Continental (4), Ferrari (3), Rolls Royce (2), Dodge Pick Up (1), Lamborghini (1).
www.pciudadana.com/noticias/Noticias_2010/... (http://www.pciudadana.com/noticias/Noticias_2010/noticas_Abril_2010/noticias_29-04-2010.htm)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)