Senate bill proposes redirecting tourist card fees

Santo Domingo.- Senator Rafael Barón Duluc (Cholitín) of La Altagracia has introduced a bill in the Senate to allocate US$2 of the US$10 tourist card fee collected from visitors to local governments in areas where airports are located. The proposal aims to enhance funding for municipalities and municipal districts.

The bill outlines four key areas for fund allocation: tourism development and promotion, public infrastructure improvements, preservation of public spaces and heritage sites, and support for cultural and social initiatives. The Ministry of Finance would distribute the funds equitably based on the number of hotel rooms in each district, using census data.

Barón Duluc highlighted that Dominican municipalities receive significantly fewer resources than their Latin American counterparts. The bill has been sent to the Municipal Development and Non-Governmental Organizations Commission for review before undergoing further legislative approvals.