07/18: A New Incentives Code: Problem or Solution?

Proposed incentives may hurt or benefit PR’s economic sectors
PR is once again at a crossroads. This time, however, with a much more critical end-game. The combination of continued public-debt negotiations—with no easy-fix in sight—and an uneven reconstruction effort have transformed what otherwise would be normal processes into make-or-break events. Nearly everything—from fiscal budgets to public officials’ salaries—has become contentious. The recently proposed incentives code adds yet another layer of complexity to this conundrum. Long gone are the days where public policy “only” had to ensure that the Island remained attractive to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) vis-à-vis other jurisdictions. Now, incentives need to balance the Island’s multi-level economic reconstruction needs with its changing sociodemographic fundamentals. This issue examines the impact of the proposed incentives measures on key economic sectors and its desirability in its drafted form.