[News] Ensures quality of state spending and savings allow extension of social aid programs

[EvKirito]

 

 

The new economic aid plan planned until April of this year, through the extension of the "Eating is first" program, will be possible thanks to the improvement in the quality of spending, greater control in the purchasing processes and state savings, informed the Minister of Economy, Planning and Development, Miguel Ceara Hatton.

 

"Of the 27 billion pesos announced for aid, 17 billion pesos were already set in the budget, while the difference will be provided by savings from various public institutions," Minister Ceara Hatton reported during an interview on the program Today, broadcast by Color Vision, channel 9.

 

The economist and university professor expressed that the extension of the aid plan also aims to build capacities in vulnerable po[CENSORED]tions, necessary for their insertion into the labor market.

"Obviously, there is a part of that po[CENSORED]tion around 5% or 6% that must be assisted permanently, either due to their age, disability, social vulnerability or catastrophic diseases," he said.

 

On the economic recovery in this year 2021, Ceara Hatton pointed out that the rescue will depend on the course of the disease and the vaccines planned to arrive in the country in the next month of March. He said that in this second outbreak it is expected that the world economy will grow between 4% and 6%, figures towards which the Dominican Republic is projected.

 

He reiterated that the importance of social and economic aid plans is that they prevent deaths due to disability, hunger, not having access to medicine or hospitalization.

“That 6 or 7% of the poor po[CENSORED]tion has the right to be cared for. The State is obliged to guarantee quality of life for this po[CENSORED]tion ”, he indicated.

 

This Monday, January 4, President Luis Abinader announced the extension until April of "Eating is first" and its subsequent transformation into "Get over yourself", increasing financial aid to 1,650 pesos.

 

Also through decree 742-20, on December 30, Abinader extended the Phase I program "Get over yourself", which would expand the number of beneficiaries from 800,000 to one million.

 

Increase in the membership of the National Police

 

Regarding the reasons for the salary increase to the National Police, the economist commented that during the pandemic its members have been in the streets, taking care of citizens and enforcing their protocols, services that require a more dignified salary adjustment.

 

“The police have literally been on the street in recent months. Remember that we have a problem of social violence and the Police have a duty to control it, ”he said.

Unique regions

 

 

Ceara Hatton explained that one of the great priorities for this year 2021 is to monitor the design and implementation of the territorialization of sectoral policies, because the country needs to organize its regions with the aim of making sectoral policies in health, education effective , housing and other emergencies.

 

"The Single Region law would allow us to know how much the provinces of La Vega, San Pedro de Macorís or La Romana spent, on what priorities and in what period of time," he said.

 

In this regard, when asked about the eventual tax reform, he stated that it must have two components: quality of spending and establishing society's confidence in how it is spent and what it is spent for before establishing additional taxes.

 

“What we want is for the citizen to know that, if as a minister I go crazy spending state resources on a five thousand peso bottle of wine, that citizen tell me, look, you paid for that bottle with state resources, you better pay for your pocket, to speak in flat terms, "he said.

 

On the tax aspect, he explained that the idea of a comprehensive tax reform is to focus taxes and avoid leaks.