The Ministry of Finance and Economy of the Dominican Republic (, MHE) also known as Treasury (Spanish: Hacienda), is the government institution in charge of preparing, executing and evaluating the country's fiscal policies, including national income, expenses and finance and securing its sustainability in relation to the economical policies. Other functions are to propose fiscal and customs legislation, regulate loans' authorization and negotiation, approve public contracting, and periodically prepare the state of the budget, finance and economy.
It was established on the first Dominican Constitution of 1844 as the Secretary of State of Finance and Trade (Secretaría de Estado de Hacienda y Comercio). Its headquarters are located at Santo Domingo. Since 15 July 2025, its Minister is .
With the enactment of Law 45-25, which provides for the merger of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development, the entity assumes part of the functions of the former Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development and is now known as the Ministry of Finance and Economy.
History The origin of this Ministry can be found on the first Dominican Constitution, signed on November 6, 1844. This document specified that:
A few days later, on November 14, 1844, the office was officially created as the Secretary of State of Finance and Trade (Secretaría de Estado de Hacienda y Comercio), being its first ministre-secretary Ricardo Miura. The office was also held in its early days by national hero Matías Ramón Mella, as well as José Manuel Caminero, Jacinto de la Concha and José Joaquín Puello.
During the Second Republic (1865–1916), this institution saw several financial crisis that damaged the politics of the Dominican Republic. President Ulises Heureaux's government was characterized by the unsupported issue of banknotes and the unmeasured debt to foreign companies. This situation led to the Dominico-American Convention of 1907 during the presidency of Ramón Cáceres, which ceded Dominican customs to the United States. This eventually led to the American occupation of the Dominican Republic (1916–1924). During this period, the institution is renamed Secretary of Treasury and Finance (Secretaría de Estado del Tesoro y Hacienda).
During the Third Republic (1924–1965), this office was renamed several times, being known for a time as Secretary of State of Finance, Labour and Communications (Secretaría de Estado de Hacienda, Trabajo y Comunicaciones). At the start of the Fourth Republic in 1965, it was known as Secretary of State of Finance (Secretaría de Estado de Finanzas).
On 2006, Law no. 494-06 reorganized the institution, which was renamed from Finanzas to Hacienda, which in English can be translated as both finance or internal revenue. At the same, the government created a new departement, the Secretary of State of Economy, Planning and Development (Secretaría de Estado de Economía, Planificación y Desarrollo).
It adopted its current name, Ministry of Finance or Internal Revenue (Ministerio de Hacienda), after the 2010 Constitutional reform and the subsequent Decree no. 56-10 which changed the names of all government agencies.
Internal structure As all other Ministries of the Dominican Republic, the Ministry of Finance is subdivided into vice-ministries. These are:
Technical-Administrative Vice-ministry Vice-ministry of Budget, Accounting and Assets Vice-ministry of State Assets Vice-ministry of the Treasury Vice-ministry of Public Credit Vice-ministry of Fiscal Policy
Affiliated agencies
As fiscal regulator, the Ministry of Finance has a great number of decentralized institutions. Some of these are:
Superintendency of Insurance General Office of Customs (DGA) General Office of Internal Revenue (DGII) General Office of National Cadastre General Office of Budget General Office of Public Credit Bank of Reserves of the Dominican Republic (BanReservas) National Treasury National Lottery Savings Fund for Workers and Monte de Piedad
List of ministers
Ricardo Miura, 1844–1847 José María Caminero, 1847–1849 Jacinto de la Concha, 1849 Ramón Matías Mella, 1849–1850 Manuel Joaquín del Monte, 1850–1851 Miguel Lavastida, 1851–1852 Francisco Cruz Moreno, 1852–1855 Manuel Joaquín del Monte, 1855–1856 Danuel Coén, 1856–1858 Pablo Pujols, 1858 José Mareo Perdomo, 1858–1860 Pedro Ricart Torres, 1860–1861 Pablo Pujols, 1863 Ricardo Curiel, 1863–1864 José Manuel Glas, 1863–1864 Alfredo Deetjen, 1864 Rafael M. Leyba, 1864–1865 Pablo Pujols, 1865 Eusebio Pereyra, 1865 Teodoro Stanley Heneken, 1865 Segundo Peralta, 1865 Juan Ramón Fiallo, 1865 Francisco Saviñón, 1865 Pedro Tomás Garrido, 1865–1866 Eusebio Pereyra, 1866 Pedro Tomás Garrido, 1866 Juan Ramón Fiallo, 1866 Pablo Pujols, 1866–1867 Pedro Perdomo, 1867–1868 Carlos Nouel, 1868 Pedro Tomás Garrido, 1868 Carlos Moreno, 1868 Ricardo Curiel, 1868–1873 Idelfonso Mella Castillo, 1873–1874 Luis Durocher, 1874 José Manuel Glas, 1874 Francisco Xavier Amiama, 1874–1875 Pedro Tomás Garrido, 1875 Juan Bautista Zafra, 1875–1876 Mariano A. Cesteros, 1876 Juan Bautista Zafra, 1876 José de Jesús Castro, 1876 Manuel María Gautier, 1876 Pedro María Piñeiro, 1876 Manuel A. Cáceres, 1876–1878 Francisco Gregorio Billini, 1878 Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez, 1878 Pedro María Aristy, 1878–1879 Apolinar de Castro, 1879 Maximiliano Grullón, 1879–1880 Rodolfo Boscowitz, 1880–1882 Eugenio Generoso de Marchena, 1882–1884 Amable Damirón, 1884–1885 Angel R. Delgado, 1885 Lucas Gibbes, 1885 Rodolfo Boscowitz, 1885–1887 Julio J. Julia, 1887–1889 Juan Francisco Sánchez, 1889–1893 Modesto Rivas, 1893–1897 José de Jesús Álvarez, 1897–1899 Federico Augusto González, 1899–1900 Elías Brache, 1900–1902 Emiliano Tejera, 1902–1903 Rafael Galván, 1903 José Brache, 1903 Enrique Pou, 1903–1904 Federico Velásquez Hernández, 1904–1911 Angel M. Soler, 1911 Francisco A. Córdova, 1911–1912 Eduardo Ricart, 1912 Arturo Grullón, 1912 Eduardo Soler, 1912–1913 Mario A. Saviñón, 1913–1914 Salvador B. Gautier, 1914 Armando Pérez Perdomo, 1914–1915 Francisco Herrera, 1915 José Manuel Jiménez, 1915–1916 Francisco J. Peynado, 1916 US military intervention Eladio Sánchez, 1922–1923 Agustín Acevedo, 1923–1924 José Dolores Alfonseca, 1924–1926 Martín de Moya, 1926–1930 Jafet Hernández, 1930 Roberto Despradel, 1930–1931 Teódulio Pina Chevalier, 1931 Santiago Michelena, 1931–1932 Rafael Paino Pichardo, 1932–1933 Tulio Manuel Cestero, 1933 Rafael Brache, 1933–1934 Agustín Aristy, 1934–1938 Federico García Godoy, 1938–1940 Virgilio Álvarez Pina, 1940–1942 Manuel Cocco, 1942–1943 Furcy Pichardo, 1943–1944 Manuel de Jesús Troncoso de la Concha, 1944–1945 Horacio A. Febles, 1945 Rafael Paino Pichardo, 1945–1947 Victor Garrido, 1947–1949 José A. Castellanos, 1949–1950 Generoso Núñez, 1950–1952 Salvador Ortíz, 1952–1953 Julio de la Rocha Báez, 1953–1954 Salvador Lluberes Peña, 1954 Virgilio Álvarez Sánchez, 1954–1956 Salvador Ortíz, 1956 Virgilio Álvarez Sánchez, 1956–1958 José A. Turull Ricart, 1958–1959 Virgilio Álvarez Sánchez, 1959 José Ernesto García Aybar, 1959 José A. Turull Ricart, 1959 Furcy Pichardo, 1959–1961 José A. Quezada, 1961 Pedro Justo Carrión, 1961 José Manuel Machado, 1961–1962 Manuel Enrique Tavarez, 1962 Ramón Cáceres Troncoso, 1962–1963 Jacobo Majluta, 1963 Pedro Manuel Casals, 1963 Manuel Ramón Cruz Díaz, 1964 José Andrés Aybar Castellanos, 1964–1965 José Rafael Abinader, 1965 Generoso Núñez, 1965 Fidel Méndez Núñez, 1965 Enrique Tarazona, 1965–1966 Antonio Martínez Francisco, 1966–1970 Arturo Muñiz Marte, 1970–1973 Carlos Séliman, 1973–1975 Fernando Álvarez Bogaert, 1975–1976 Diógenes Fernández, 1976–1977 Victor Gómez Bergés, 1977 Reynaldo A. Bisonó, 1977–1978 Manuel José Cabral, 1978–1979 Bolívar Báez Ortíz, 1979–1982 Ramón Martínez Aponte, 1982 José Rafael Abinader, 1982–1984 José Santos Taveras, 1984 Hugo Guiliani Cury, 1984 Manuel Cocco Guerrero, 1984–1986 Roberto Saladín, 1986–1987 José Carlos Isaias, 1987–1988 Roberto Martínez Villanueva, 1988–1989 Guillermo Caram, 1989 Rodolfo Rincón Martínez, 1989–1990 Licelot Marte de Barrios, 1990–1993 Florencio Lorenzo Silva, 1993–1994 Luis Taveras Andujar, 1994–1995 Pedro Reynoso Jimenez, 1995 Roberto Martínez Villanueva, 1995–1996 Daniel Toribio, 1996–2000 Fernando Álvarez Bogaert, 2000–2002 José Lois Malkún, 2002–2003 Rafael Calderon Martínez, 2003–2004 Vicente Bengoa, 2004–2011 Daniel Toribio, 2011–2012 Simón Lizardo Mézquita, 2012–2016 Donald Guerrero, 2016–2020 José Manuel Vicente Dubocq, 2020–2025 Magín Díaz, since 2025
See also Cabinet of the Dominican Republic Ministry of Economy and Finance (Haiti)
References
External links