Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic has a sub-national level of government made up of municipal councils and local districts. The political administration of the nation corresponds to a unitary country, with municipalities constitutionally consecrated as autonomous in the political, administrative, and fiscal spheres.

The municipalities are financed mainly from fees for the provision of services, but they are limited to charging fees for lighting, cleaning the public thoroughfare and surveillance. One of the peculiarities of Dominican legislation is that the Real Estate Property Tax, the region's famous municipal tax, is not administered or intended for municipalities, being collected by the national government, which certainly limits municipal finances.

The main means of financing to fulfil municipal functions comes from transfers from the central government, which has generated great dependence, especially on the smaller municipalities.

Other sources of financing are municipal funds deposits, income that corresponds to them because of Private Law, and the contribution of improvements that helps to defray the expenses of public works. As well as mechanisms to access Public-Private Partnerships for Development, the Public Credit System that allows the indebtedness of local governments under certain conditions, International Development Cooperation funds, and an urban resilience fund created precisely to prevent and mitigate the effects of disasters and natural hazards.