Politicians still feeding at the trough

Politicians of different stripes continue to ride the gravy train with perks that most of the electorate can only dream of.

 In an era of change, elected deputies can still import vehicles duty free, although this has been cut down to two imports during a five year term as elected representative of the “people” many of whom live below the poverty level.
La Prensa reports that during the first six months of the new government, at least 24 members rushed to the trough and imported vehicles duty free. Most have been cars with a market price exceeding $25,000.
A worker on minimum wage of  would have to work for 5-8 years to own a car costing $25,000, presuming he had someone to pay for his food, lodging , clothing and transportation in the interim. Presuming too that he was receiving the official minimum. Some 23 percent of workers do not receive the minimum
Feeding at the duty free trough has cost the government more than $140,000 in lost tax revenue.
Many of those importing vehicles are first-term politicians including Rubén Darío Frías, of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), who imported a vehicle costing more than $50,000, avoiding $13,642 in taxes.
Yanibel Ábrego Smith elected as an independent but who is allied with the ruling Democratic Change (CD) party, avoided taxes of $11,000 on a $48,258 vehicle.
CD legislator Victor Juliao avoided paying more than $8,000 in taxes on a car valued at $35,000.
In the past, it has been revealed that deputies frequently imported duty free cars for friends and relatives