SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is the largest exporter of cigars in the world, and in terms of free trade zone, the line of the sector that employs the largest number of people, some 38,000 employees.
This was stated by the executive director of the National Free Zone and Export Council (CNZFE), Daniel Liranzo. “We are number one worldwide in cigar exports, and to the United States market, specifically, we represent 70% of the cigar imports that the United States makes worldwide,” he said.
This means, he exemplified, that in the North American country, seven out of every 10 cigars smoked were produced in the Dominican Republic.
The free trade zone sector has been one of the fastest recovering after the arrival of COVID-19 in the country. As of April, operations were already operating at 100%. Liranzo explained, in fact, that new companies have entered the country, including the novelty of one that manufactures leather furniture.
One of the great challenges facing this sector is the training and specialization of its human resources. About 75% of the workers have a job qualified as “laborer”, and on average, the salary is about RD$15,000.
For Daniel Liranzo, this special tax free zone regime cannot be touched in an eventual tax reform, which has pending to analyze and study the tax exemptions. Liranzo said that it is essential to maintain legal certainty.
Daniel Liranzo, offered these declarations in the television program A partir de Ahora, of Gustavo Olivo Peña, which is transmitted in Acento TV, in channel 38 of Claro, 39 and 439 of Altice, 41 of Star Cable of Santiago de los Caballeros.
