. . .
Fernandez added that his Administration heeded the concerns raised by some sectors of the population who have expressed anxiety about having to pay an extra DOP17.29 on a gallon. Mr. Fernandez stressed that the government decision should be interpreted as a sacrifice for the sake of “social harmony”.
Grass roots organization and transport unions had threatened to stage nationwide protests if the government went ahead with the move. As in many other parts of the world, fuel in the Dominican Republic is heavily taxed, and proceeds generated thereby are allocated by law to pay the country’s foreign debt.
The nation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the IMF this past February, in which it committed to the elimination of the generalized propane gas subsidy
http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/2005/06/16/subsidy.shtmlThey think foreign demands are bad now, CAFTA will be much much worse