DR: No mercy from the IMF

Dominicanos are in for a rude awakening with the accord their government has signed with the IMF. They're about to be hit with taxes on previously untaxed medicine.

According to the IMF stand-by agreement, medicines will fall under the application of the ITBIS tax (VAT). At the present time, they are excluded from taxation. According to INFADOMI spokesperson Leila Mejia Roldan, the increased cost will make it difficult for low-wage earners to buy medicines that are already very expensive. The most popular medicines have already nearly tripled in price due to the devaluation of the peso.