Santo Domingo Mayor slithers out of wage hike scandal

Santo Domingo.- The payroll of Dominican Republic’s capital has grown since January, but mayor Roberto Salcedo prefers not to call it a wage increase.

He said the 55% jump in his net income and from 31 to 69 percent for the council members and senior officials was on recommendation by the Accounts Chamber.

Salcedo said he has never asked the City Council to increase his salary and “simply had accept it on the suggestion by the Auditor organization, which sought to standardize perks with net salaries.”

“The City official’s higher per diem, allowances and other perks to unify wages means they’ll pay more income tax,” Salcedo said when journalists asked him about the alleged jump in salaries.