The Cuban comedian Ulises Toirac published a direct critique on Monday on Facebook regarding the regime's campaign against so-called "excessive prices" set by private merchants, labeling it a "witch hunt" and ineffective from an economic standpoint.
Toirac began his publication with irony, acknowledging that if he were a merchant, he would do exactly what the government aims to combat: raising prices as long as the market allows it.
"It's what the supply and demand we have been clamoring for dictates. If they pay it, if they clear out the warehouse at this price, then I'll raise it. Period. That's how it works, whether we like it or not," he wrote.
The actor admitted that high prices harm those with limited purchasing power, but argued that the underlying 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 pointed out.
Instead of the auditing campaign, he proposed an alternative solution to the government: to reduce the import and marketing costs of essential goods so that the increased supply would naturally drive prices down.
To conclude the post, Ulises asked ironically: "Where can I report ETECSA, UNE, and the currency stores for exorbitant 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, Miguel Díaz-Canel himself acknowledged that the national price caps "did not succeed in controlling inflation" and that they led to the "disappearance of products" and "diversion towards illegality."
Shortly after, the regime removed the price caps on chicken, oil, powdered milk, pasta, and sausages through Resolution 150/2026.
However, just 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. For its part, Matanzas enabled phones to report inflated prices.
In other provinces such as Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Holguín, and Pinar del Río, the authorities have also unilaterally and haphazardly reimplemented price controls on basic food items.
This cycle of control, scarcity, elimination, and reimposition is precisely the backdrop that Toirac criticizes. The economists Pedro Monreal and Elías Amor have already described the new provincial price ceilings as "absurd", arguing that they encourage shortages and push goods into the informal market.
It is not the first time that Toirac has pointed to the regime regarding economic matters. Weeks prior, hecriticized ETECSA, demanding that it reinvest its profits or allow the entry of Starlink, and throughout the year, he has consistently held the government responsible for the country's economic collapse.
"A galactic 'let’s move forward' has been unleashed that, of course, is the 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 keeps repeating the same mistakes without taking any responsibility for their consequences.
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