A fringe benefit to living here…practically NO TAXES!

In the good ol’ USA, we pay…
> Accounts Receivable Tax
> Building Permit Tax
> CDL License Tax
> Cigarette Tax
> Corporate Income Tax
> Dog License Tax
> Federal Income Tax
> Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
> Fishing License Tax
> Food License Tax
> Fuel Permit Tax
> Gasoline Tax
> Hunting License Tax
> Inheritance Tax
> Inventory Tax
> IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax),
> IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax),
> Liquor Tax,
> Luxury Tax,
> Marriage License Tax,
> Medicare Tax,
> Property Tax,
> Real Estate Tax,
> Service charge taxes,
> Social Security Tax,
> Road Usage Tax (Truckers),
> Sales Taxes,
> Recreational Vehicle Tax,
> School Tax,
> State Income Tax,
> State Unemployment Tax (SUTA),
> Telephone Federal Excise Tax,
> Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax,
> Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax,
> Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax,
> Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax,
> Telephone State and Local Tax,
> Telephone Usage Charge Tax,
> Utility Tax,
> Vehicle License Registration Tax,
> Vehicle Sales Tax,
> Watercraft Registration Tax,
> Well Permit Tax,
> Workers Compensation Tax.
>

I’ve lived here for 1.5 years. I can’t remember when I’ve paid a tax here except for my phone and whatever they get for gasoline. My vehicle? No. Workers comp? NO. Unemployment tax? No. Property tax? No. Income tax? No.

I’m not adverse to paying some taxes. I want roads, and fire departments and police departments. I just do not want to be OVERTAXED! Also, I’d like a little more say on where my tax dollars are spent.

Until that happens, I think I will just stick my head in the cool white sand on our beautiful beaches and enjoy not being taxed for a while!

Respectfully yours,

DanDannyDaniel Hussmann

1-829-380-8094

Member ICREA

www.drparadise.com

Skype Address – dlhussmann

blog URL is drparadise.wordpress.com

Las Terrenas, Samana, Dominican Republic

OMSA offers free rides. Today, work off after 12.

OMSA offers free rides
The Metropolitan Bus Service Office (OMSA) will offer free bus rides Friday, to aid voters in getting to and from their voting stations. OMSA administrator Ignacio Ditren Flores told El Nuevo Diario that their fleet of buses would be on hand from 6am until their standard time of closing. The busses will be obtainable in Santo Domingo and Santiago de los Caballeros. They take their Democracy seriously in the Dominican Republic.

Today, work off after 12
The Presidency has confirmed that starting today, May 15^th at noon, will begin a holiday and will extend thru Saturday May 17^th at 6:00 am. Decree 193-08 makes clear that the time off is designed to make it easier for Dominicans to vote. Thousands of Dominicans live far from their voting stations because of never changing their addresses. Public services, such as police and fire stations, hospitals, and businesses that obviously can’t close (like hotels) will carry on as usual. Most schools also determined to allow their students the two days off as well.

Tourism continues to do fine. Foreign investment stable.

Tourism continues to do fine
Climbing energy prices and the financial problems in the United States hinted at uncertainties that the Dominican tourism sector would see a fall in 2008, the opposite has happened. The Ministry of Tourism announced that in the first quarter of the year, 1,430,034 visitors have arrived. This is 6.73% more than in the 1^st quarter of 2007, when 1,339,836 tourists arrived.
April traveler flow numbers single-handedly show a 2.54% swell compared to 2007, and there is a inclination for arrivals to continue to outpace 2007 figures. This year, 315,721 tourists visited in April, as opposed to 307,914 in April 2007.
El Caribe reports that most people are coming from the US, Canada, Spain, France, Switzerland and Belgium.

Minister of Tourism, Felix Jimenez reported that Canadians are showing their strength. Canadians accounted for 398,023 arrivals in the first four months of this year, balanced against 358,638 last year.

Foreign investment stable
The DR has received a total of US$12.1 billion in foreign direct venture capital (FDI) during the past 15 years. This data was derived from the Foreign Investment Association (ASIEX) and the Central Bank, the Dominican Republic Center for Exports and Investment (CEI-RD). 2007 alone the Dominican Republic received US$1.7 billion in FDI, a little less than Costa Rica, but higher than any of the other four DR-CAFTA countries. Tourism and telecommunications were the chief areas of outlay. Net proceeds for services have sustained an unvarying consistency. Net revenues registered 95% in 2007. Free trade zones equaled 4% net revenues in 2007. Macroeconomic stability in the DR has been the means in increasing FDI says Listen Dario