SANTO DOMINGO.– A bill to elevate the Verón-Punta Cana Tourist Municipal District, in La Altagracia province, to the category of municipality, was presented yesterday, September 4th of this year, in the ordinary session of the Senate of the Republic.
The project's proponent is Senator Rafael Barón Duluc Rijo (Cholitin), of the Liberal Reformist Party (PLR). The proposal has the support of residents and business owners in the area, who are demanding the change, citing the growth experienced in that district.
Rafael Barón Duluc Rijo (Cholitin). (External source).
Among the considerations, the project maintains that the Verón-Punta Cana Tourist Municipal District complies with everything established by law such as geographic, social, economic, cultural, population identity, physical infrastructure, and basic social and economic conditions that guarantee the viability of its future development, requirements necessary for its elevation to category.
The document also highlights that the main municipality of Higüey receives around 40% of its total income from municipal taxes and fees, which originate in the aforementioned District.
“For this reason, we ask the central government to consider mechanisms to compensate for this part,” the bill emphasizes.
“It is essential that Higüey be recognized and compensated for the financial impact this transition could represent. Economic balance among the municipalities is essential to guarantee the harmonious development of our province,” Cholitín emphasized when presenting the project.
The measure could transform the administrative status of Verón-Punta Cana, granting it greater autonomy and capacity to manage its local resources and needs, local organizations told El Inmobiliario .
