In Costa Rica, the Constitutional Chamber ruled in favor of the Observatorio Ciudadano de Transparencia Fiscal, an institution that filed an appeal to obtain information on how many individuals appear as owners of shares.
After the Observatory requested to the Ministry of Finance statistical information that can be obtained from the Registry of Shareholders and Beneficial Owners (RABF), the authorities refused.
Two legal projects have been approved on fiscal transparency and fiscal management, including streamlined procedures for lifting bank secrecy.
A statement from the Ministry of Finance of Costa Rica reads:
TREASURY CELEBRATES APPROVAL OF FISCAL TRANSPARENCY AND STRENGTHENING OF TAX MANAGEMENT
The Treasury welcomed the adoption on the second reading of Bill number 17677 for Compliance in Tax Transparency Standards, and the number 18 041, the Bill to Strengthen Tax Management.
In order to remove banking secrecy, all that is needed is that the required information presumably serves to determine compliance with tax obligations.
An article in Nacion.com discusses two bills recently approved on the first reading by the Costa Rican Legislative Assembly: the Law for Strengthening the Tax Administration and the Law on Fiscal Transparency.
Legislative approval will allow the government to take advantage of the record minimum rates in the international market, easing pressure on interest rates in the domestic market.
It will also decrease the pressure to solve the underlying problem, which is excessive government spending, especially that generated by the staff payroll, which not only continues to grow in quantity but also in the amount of their wages, on average far exceeding those of private sector workers.
Companies that provide services to the state consider that the measures against corruption must be strengthened.
Better monitoring, clear rules and commitment from senior officers in companies are some of the suggestions that representatives of the private sector have made to improve the transparency of the bidding process conducted by the state.
A report in El Financiero notes: "These suggestions are particularly relevant after the recent convictions of two former Costa Rican presidents, Rafael Angel Calderón (Box-Fischel case) and Miguel Angel Rodríguez (ICE-Alcatel Case), where they serve as a reminder that corruption can occur at any time and at any level. "
Following the adoption in Guatemala of the Law on Public Information Access, El Salvador and Costa Rica are the only ones in the isthmus that lack a similar law.
The Salvadoran Foundation for Economic and Social Development (FUSADES) presented yesterday its draft law on transparency and access to public information.
The proposal includes 113 articles that seek to force all state institutions to deliver public information to all citizens.