Director of INDRHI affirms the money Government seeks in a tax reform could be generated through responsible mining
Santo Domingo – Given the need to strengthen the economy and amid the debate on possible tax reform, the former director of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INDRHI), Héctor Rodríguez Pimentel, motivated the authorities to promote the country’s mining industry because he considers it a fundamental factor for revitalization.
In this sense, Rodríguez Pimentel indicated the importance of mining exploitation in this new stage, in which technologies allow environmental sustainability. He also referred to the statements offered by the executive vice president of the Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic (AIRD), Cirse Almánzar, in which she addressed the need for tax reform to improve collections. He also cited the statements of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which pointed out the excellent performance of the Dominican economy, stating that new investments are needed to continue growing.
Quoting Almánzar, the specialist referred to the current situation faced by the country’s mining companies, which have decreased production due to the lack of state incentives.
He affirms that this is due to the state’s lack of promotion policies and the complexity of the sector’s procedures.
Héctor Rodríguez Pimentel, president of the Reformist Renewal Party (PRR), recalled that mining has been essential to the country’s development and stressed that this practice no longer implies the environmental damage of yesteryear, such as the so-called “Open Mining,” which endangered natural resources.
He denounced that, currently, a company called GoldQuest Dominicana, which seeks to carry out an environmental impact study in the area of Los Romeros, in the province of San Juan de la Maguana, has had innumerable obstacles to set up despite the development that an investment of this type would imply for that province.
He assured that a demagogic campaign had been unleashed from some political sectors: “San Juan is one of the poorest provinces in the country; So, we have to think about this type of initiative to improve people’s quality of life. If this company wants to do this study to see if it is profitable, I think the Government should give it the possibility, or the Government itself should do it,” said the engineer and journalist.
Finally, the communicator and political leader urged the Government to make an accounting to increase tax revenues, motivating the establishment of new areas. Mining generates the most jobs.
“We are going to generate wealth; the subsoil must be used, taking into account the environmental balance,” said Héctor Rodríguez Pimentel.
Regarding the issue, Rodriguez referred to Cirse Almánzar’s approach, which predicts that if this mining company is installed, the Dominican State will receive 46 billion pesos in profits.
He assumes that this company and 20 other projects could provide the resources the Government needs to continue developing the country.