Leonel Fernández urges inflation adjustment to protect workers’ income

Santo Domingo.- Former Dominican President and People’s Force leader Leonel Fernández warned on Thursday that inflation must not continue to act as a “hidden tax” harming Dominican workers.

In a message shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Fernández called for the indexation of the exempt portion of the Income Tax (ISR), as mandated by the Tax Code, to safeguard the real value of wages and ensure tax fairness. “Salaries should not be plunder for the tax authorities,” he wrote, announcing that he would elaborate further in a detailed thread.

The Funglode president reiterated that rising prices have eroded citizens’ purchasing power, stressing that the government’s failure to update the ISR exemption threshold places an excessive burden on employees. His statement comes amid ongoing debate over comprehensive tax reform and policies to relieve economic pressure on Dominican households.