The Dominican Republic will use a $20 entry tax charged to foreign visitors to pay for 8 turbo-prop Super Tucano combat planes. Lawmakers in Santo Domingo have been working on a plan to fund their air force's expansion for almost two years. However, it was not until this week that the plan was approved. The overall cost of the order is $93.7 million. Last year, 3 million tourists came to the Dominican Republic. Similar numbers in the coming year will mean $60 million in revenue from the entry tax.

The Super Tucano is used by many Caribbean and South American nations. It is used extensively in Brazil to patrol the Amazon rain forest and to train combat pilots.

What does this mean for tourists headed to resorts like Punta Cana or to Santo Domingo? Their wallets will be $20 lighter. As far as having any qualms about funding the military, don't worry, unless you like your cocaine. The government has been struggling with drug smugglers who use the D.R. as a stopping off point on the way to more lucrative destinations in the US. The new planes will probably be used for anti-smuggling purposes and to patrol the border with Haiti.

[Via Dominican Today]

Filed under: Dominican Republic