Gold mining boosted tax revenues by 209.7%

The exploitation of gold essentially increased the State's collections via the General Directorate of Internal Taxes, for mining taxes by 209.7% in 2025, compared to what was collected in 2024. The State collected taxes from mining for more than RD$40,068 million last year, about RD$27,132 million more than in 2024, when only RD$12,936 million were collected. Tax revenues from mining exceeded even the estimates that the government itself made for that year's budget. The estimate in the Budget Law was RD$12,337 million, and in the reformulated budget it was RD$29,738 million, however the effective collection was RD$40,068 million. A fundamental variable for this was the construction of a new tailings dam at the Barrick Pueblo Viejo mine, which allowed this company to expand its operations and extract much more gold, after years of resistance and opposition from the community, due to alleged environmental damage. In addition to this, there is the rise in international gold prices, which is increasingly sought after by many economies around the world to be used as a safe haven asset amid the current context of global uncertainty.

Furthermore, foreign direct investment (FDI) in the sector exceeded US$500 million, positioning itself as the third most economically relevant sector, according to data recently provided by the Minister of Energy and Mines, Joel Santos. Last year, the Dominican Republic reached the highest value of mining exports in 2025, so that period closed with a cumulative value exceeding US$2.59 billion, making 2025 the year with the highest exports in that sector of the economy. This value represents a 52% growth compared to 2024, when mining exports totaled US$1,712.7 million, and if compared to previous historical data, such as the case of 2021, it can be observed that US$2,159.5 million were recorded, equivalent to 20%, according to data from the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic.