Q3 2010: Can Reforms Get Us Out of Recession?
The third quarter of 2010 has seen the start of many reforms in PR, from permits to taxes to government and a few more yet to come. The “objective” is to improve the business environment in Puerto Rico. Downsizing the government was the first initiative to reduce bureaucracy and restore fiscal discipline. Permit reform, due to start December of this year, is the first of several initiatives to accelerate construction and put PR back on track. As October ends, we start discussing tax reform with a controversial excise tax on exports of foreign companies. Next in line is labor reform to restore competitiveness in PR. The question is: can these reforms get us out of the hole?