Senate urgently approves 2026 General State Budget with opposition's rejection

Santo Domingo.– The Senate of the Republic approved this Tuesday, in two consecutive readings and under a declaration of urgency, the General State Budget Bill for the year 2026 for RD$1 trillion 744 billion, an initiative that had already been sanctioned last week by the Chamber of Deputies. The approval took place amid rejection from opposition blocs, particularly senators from the Fuerza del Pueblo party, who voted against the bill and denounced that the budget prioritizes current spending to the detriment of public investment and the well-being of workers. You can also read: https://deultimominuto.net/uncategorized/para-aplicar-indexacion-salarial/ During his speech in the chamber, Senator Omar Fernández questioned that the budget once again omits the indexation of salaries, as established by the Tax Code, a provision that, as he pointed out, has not been complied with since 2017. "Congress has the constitutional mandate to legislate, represent, and oversee, and that includes enforcing current laws. However, year after year, salary indexing is ignored, directly affecting Dominican workers," Fernández expressed. The legislator warned that, if the indexation is maintained in accordance with the law, the payment of Income Tax should start from 52 thousand pesos monthly and not from the current 34,600 pesos, which, he said, represents a significant difference for Dominican families. Furthermore, he criticized the increase in the public payroll, which he estimated to be equivalent to about 136 new jobs per day throughout the year, calling it a "disproportionate" expense aimed at clientelism and populism. Fernández also warned about the difficulties faced by entrepreneurs and developers due to state bureaucracy, and questioned that, despite these structural weaknesses. In the same vein, Senator Eduard Espíritusantos stated that the budget reflects "the government's poor vision of the country's economic direction," allocating, as he explained, about 97% of resources to current spending and less than 3% to capital investment. "This is the sixth budget presented by the PRM with the same characteristics: an absolute priority to current spending and a marked deficiency in public investment," said Espíritusantos, who lamented that areas such as infrastructure, education, health and public services are not prioritized, but rather the payment of payrolls and a costly advertising machine.

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During the session, Senator Omar Fernández requested a 24-hour period to analyze the budgetary piece; however, the motion was rejected when put to a vote.

About the budget

According to official data, the 2026 General State Budget estimates revenues of RD$1,342,258.2 million, equivalent to 15.5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and a total expenditure of RD$1,622,833.4 million, which represents 18.7% of the GDP. This generates a fiscal deficit of 3.2% of the GDP, equivalent to RD$280,575.3 million. The initiative contemplates a public investment of RD$215,284.7 million, equivalent to 2.5% of GDP, a figure that represents an increase compared to the initial budget approved for the year 2025. Despite the objections of the opposition, the project was sanctioned by the officialist majority and is ready for its enactment by the Executive Branch.