Juan Marte lashes out against new fuel price hikes and calls on the Government to review exemptions and public spending

Santiago.- The president of the National Confederation of Transport Workers (CNTT), Juan Marte, criticized this Friday the new increases in fuel prices ordered by the Government, calling them “a real blow” for the Dominican people, and warned that the measure will cause an immediate increase in the cost of goods, services and transportation throughout the country. The driver’s leader reacted after the Government announced an increase of RD$10 per gallon to premium gasoline, regular gasoline, optimal gasoil and regular gasoil for the week of March 21 to 27, 2026, which adds to the RD$5 applied last week, thus accumulating a total increase of RD$15 in just two weeks for those fuels. Marte maintained that, although he recognizes the complex international landscape marked by the war tension in the Middle East and the pressure on the oil market, the decisions adopted by the authorities have been “unprecedented and disproportionate”, directly affecting the middle class, the transportation sector and Dominican households.

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“Each increase in fuel translates into more pressure on the people’s pockets,” he expressed, warning that the rise in fuel prices will have a chain effect on essential products, passenger and cargo transport, as well as on the general cost of living.

Demands to review tax exemptions and state spending

Faced with the new adjustment, Juan Marte suggested that before continuing with weekly increases in fuels, the Government should urgently review tax exemptions and reduce the administrative expenses of the State. The president of the CNTT indicated that the country currently allocates around RD$350 billion in tax exemptions to different sectors, including businesses, transporters, and non-governmental organizations, resources that, in his opinion, should be evaluated with greater rigor. Likewise, he questioned what he defined as a “spending” in public administration, pointing out that more than 30% of the national budget could be committed to expenses that should be reviewed, optimized, and made transparent. “The Government has to first review its own finances, reduce unnecessary spending and make the use of resources transparent, before continuing to burden the people with increases in fuel prices,” Marte emphasized.

Warns of social and economic impact

The transport leader warned that the current measures directly affect the most vulnerable and productive sectors of the country, so he called on the authorities to rethink their economic strategy in the face of the international crisis. He insisted that the solution should not be to “keep pressuring the people,” but rather to apply public policies that more equitably distribute the economic burden and protect the purchasing power of the population amid global uncertainty.

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New fuel prices

The Government justified the increases, alleging that the war escalation in the Middle East has generated strong pressure on the energy market, causing one of the biggest disruptions in the oil supply and raising the price of a barrel of WTI by 70% so far in 2026. For the week of March 21st to 27th, 2026, fuels will be sold at the following prices: • Premium Gasoline: RD$305.10 per gallon • Regular Gasoline: RD$287.50 per gallon • Regular Diesel: RD$239.80 per gallon Juan Marte’s reaction comes at a time when concern is growing in productive and transport sectors about the effect that these increases may have on inflation and on the already battered budget of Dominican families.