For a very long time, Dominicans at home and abroad have been taken advantage of at our shipping ports. A system that should support struggling families and encourage economic flow is instead being used as a tool to squeeze every last cent from the very people it should serve.
From our team’s recent personal experience, they paid over EC$1,100 to clear just three barrels filled with food items and used clothing, and there were no electronics in any of them. Not a single one. This cost is beyond excessive. It is abusive. It is unacceptable that in 2025, Dominicans are paying more to receive second-hand goods and groceries from family than some people pay for brand-new appliances and electronics.
The Port Authority has become a law unto itself, a place where barrels and crates sent by loving family members from abroad are being hijacked and held hostage until outrageous fees are paid. What should be a straightforward process of receiving food, clothing, and basic household supplies has turned into a frustrating and expensive ordeal. Barrels are no longer welcomed as gifts of love and support; they are treated like contraband, slapped with excessive and arbitrary charges. It is a ransom system, where you are forced to pay whatever is demanded just to retrieve what is already yours. Families are being punished for helping one another, and the Port Authority is operating like a profit-hungry gatekeeper instead of a public service. This government views the kindness and generosity of the Diaspora not as something to support or be grateful for, but as an opportunity to exploit.
This government under Skerrit is using the Port Authority like an unlimited ATM, bleeding the people dry to finance the lavish lifestyles and reckless spending of the political elite. While they cruise around in luxury vehicles, buy up property, and build mansions on hilltops, ordinary Dominicans are being crushed by duplex taxation on barrels and crates: once for the weight, and again for the contents. This double-dipping scheme is not just unfair, it is unjust, immoral, and deliberately designed to exploit those who are simply trying to help their families survive.
These barrels and crates are not full of luxuries; they are lifelines. They are filled with food, basic hygiene products, clothing, school supplies, and in some cases, materials for building or trade. They are sent by hardworking Dominicans abroad who are already paying shipping fees and making sacrifices to support their families and friends back home.
The Port Authority’s practice of overcharging is pushing people into poverty. It is stifling the flow of aid, care, and goodwill from the Diaspora. It is undermining the very concept of a united Dominica.
The NEW Dominica Reform Party (DRP) is committed to fixing this broken and corrupt process. Upon forming government, we will immediately review and reform the entire system. Our goal is to introduce a single, flat-rate fee for all barrels, regardless of their contents. No more hidden fees. No more weight-based surprises. No more punishing people for sending help to their families.
And to those who argue about lost government revenue, we would say that removing these unfair and arbitrary taxes and replacing them with a fair, predictable base rate will not cause the government to lose income. It will generate more revenue. Why? Because when the process is fair, transparent, and affordable, more members of our Diaspora will be encouraged and willing to send barrels and crates more frequently.
Instead of the government making EC$300 off one barrel through predatory fees, they would make EC$500 off five barrels, thanks to increased volume and trust in the system. It is simple economics: when the burden is fair, participation rises. Dominicans at home and abroad take care of one another; that is our culture. The government should support that, not punish it.
We will also ensure that all charges are made transparent and justified, with proper oversight and accountability. The Port Authority must work for the people, not for the elite few perched at the top. Dominica belongs to all of us, and that includes the tens of millions of dollars in taxes being collected by the Port Authority. It is time to stop using the backs of the poor to finance government mismanagement and excess. This is not optional. It is mandatory that the NEW Dominica Reform Party (DRP) fix this.
We call on every Dominican who has been impacted by these unjust fees to stand with us. Together, let us put an end to the exploitation. Let us make the Port Authority serve the people again.
No more double taxation. No more secrecy. Just fairness, dignity, and accountability.
Team DRP