Eddie Charbonier Chinea, chair of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives’ Treasury Committee, proposed using leftover funds from the 2026 Tax Relief program, created through Joint Resolution 6-2026, to pay for measures that cut the cost of living for Puerto Rican families. The measures include a temporary elimination of the excise tax known as the 'Crudita' and a temporary suspension of the sales and use tax (IVU) on certain items.
Charbonier said families face significant economic pressure from sustained increases in the cost of food, fuel, medicine and other basic goods. He said the proposal contemplates evaluating the use of the funds for temporary initiatives. Among the alternatives he said could be discussed with the Financial Oversight and Management Board is a temporary end to the Crudita to lower fuel costs, which he said would benefit citizens and small merchants who depend on daily transportation.
He also said the IVU suspension should be evaluated for essential items, particularly prepared foods and other high-need products and services. The representative said the measure uses resources already available, without new taxes or heavier burdens on taxpayers. He said he will keep asking the Treasury Department (Hacienda) for an official certification of how much money is left over from the distribution of the 'Tax Relief Check', to determine the reach of the initiatives that could be funded.