The Cuban comedian Ulises Toirac published a direct critique on Facebook this Monday of the regime's campaign against the "excessive prices" of private merchants, describing it as a "witch hunt" and ineffective from an economic standpoint.
Toirac began his publication with irony, acknowledging that if he were a trader, he would do exactly what the government aims to combat: raising prices as long as the market allows.
"It is what the supply/demand dictates that we have long called for. If they pay it, if they empty my warehouse at this price, then I'll raise it. Period. It works this way whether we like it or not," he wrote.
The actor acknowledged that high prices harm those who lack purchasing power, but argued that the root cause is the deep distortion of consumption in Cuba.
"In no economy do prices collide. It distorts consumption, which is one of the main economic indicators. And Cuba's situation is very dire, so this happens," he noted.
Instead of the oversight campaign, he proposed an alternative solution to the government: to reduce the import and marketing costs of essential goods so that the increased supply naturally drives prices down.
To conclude the post, Ulises asked ironically, "Where can I report ETECSA, the UNE, and the currency stores for abusive prices and scams?"
With that question, he compared the practices of state entities to the "abuses" that the regime only pursues in the private sector, a contradiction that Cubans perceive daily.
The criticism comes at a time of particular confusion regarding the regime's pricing policy. In June, President Miguel Díaz-Canel himself admitted that the national price caps "did not manage to contain inflation" and that they caused "the disappearance of products" and "diversions towards illegality."
Days later, the regime removed the price caps on chicken, oil, powdered milk, pasta, and sausages through Resolution 150/2026.
However, weeks later, several provinces began to reimpose them on their own. Villa Clara set maximum prices for products such as eggs at 110 pesos each, and oil at 2,500 pesos per liter. Meanwhile, Matanzas set up hotlines to report abusive prices.
In other provinces such as Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Holguín, and Pinar del Río, authorities have also reintroduced price controls on basic food items, unilaterally and in a disorganized manner.
This cycle of control, scarcity, elimination, and reimposition is precisely the backdrop that Toirac condemns. The economists Pedro Monreal and Elías Amor have already labeled the new provincial price limits as "absurd", arguing that they favor shortages and push goods into the informal market.
It’s not the first time that Toirac has criticized the regime regarding economic matters. Weeks earlier, heattacked ETECSA, demanding that it reinvest its profits or allow the entry of Starlink, and throughout the year he has consistently blamed the government for the country’s economic collapse.
"A galactic 'échalopalante' has been unleashed that, of course, is a logical 'continuity' of our most recent history," Toirac wrote at the beginning of his latest publication, summarizing with his usual irony what economists and citizens have been denouncing for months: that the regime repeats the same mistakes without taking any responsibility for their consequences.
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