The Cuban-American businessman Carlos Saladrigas, co-chairman of the Cuba Study Group, addressed on Wednesday the three major dilemmas of a potential economic transition in Cuba: how fiscal credit works as an investment tool, who retains ownership of properties and small and medium enterprises, and what justice remains for the victims of the regime.
Saladrigas, at 77 years old and a figure who has been training more than 15,000 Cuban entrepreneurs through the Cuba Emprende program since 2001, explained that the tax credit would be granted to those who lost properties on the Island. "It’s not a gift but a conditional incentive: If you receive a tax credit and do not invest it, you lose it. Thus, a tax credit is offered, but it creates a new investment or encourages a new investment," he said.
The most delicate issue raised by Saladrigas is the tension between economic efficiency and historical justice. The regime's allies currently control the mipymes and have access to strategic concessions such as the Port of Havana, which puts them at an advantage in the event of any openings. Meanwhile, those who were dispossessed by the dictatorship risk being excluded once again. "I believe there is an equitable ethics here that needs to be resolved," he admitted.
However, Saladrigas warned that the physical restitution of properties faces a concrete obstacle: "Those properties, except for the land, no longer exist." He added that dismantling current concessions could become "extraordinarily complicated in courts," which makes restitution a legally uncertain and potentially endless process.
In this context, Saladrigas emphasized that humanism must be the focus of any plan: "What we cannot afford is to allow ourselves to forget about humanism during this process of transition or economic stability. The well-being of the people, the well-being of the nation must be our priority."
These statements come at a time of severe economic crisis in Cuba. The GDP fell by 5% in 2025, the per capita income is only 1,082 dollars —the lowest in Latin America—, blackouts affect 64% of the country, and the peso has devalued by 47.8% in a year, reaching 580 pesos per dollar in the informal market.
The debate also has an active legal counterpart. More than 500 families have initiated claims for confiscated properties since 1959, encouraged by Trump's statements about the imminent fall of the regime. The Supreme Court of the United States heard arguments in February regarding Helms-Burton lawsuits filed by Havana Docks and ExxonMobil, and a ruling is expected before June 2026 that could open the door to massive litigation.
The expert Jordi Cabarrocas, from the firm 1898 Compañía de Recuperaciones Patrimoniales, proposes compensation and land swaps instead of physical restitution to avoid evictions, and he is unequivocal: "No one will be evicted."
Saladrigas, for his part, conditions any investment plan on the complete lifting of U.S. sanctions, stating that it is "impossible" to make progress without that condition, and summarizes the magnitude of the challenge with a straightforward phrase: "Money won't come out of the ground."
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