After recognizing the serious liquidity problems faced, the government has announced it will borrow another $1 billion for a hearty lunch that others will pay for tomorrow.
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
The $1 billion that the Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR) has been negotiating since May with the Latin American Reserve Fund (FLAR) to strengthen its reserves will arrive in October of this year, according to the BCCR authorities.
This announcement comes simultaneously with the recognition given by President Solis to the serious liquidity problem affecting State finances.Solis announced that the government "... faces liquidity difficulties in paying its obligations and guaranteeing the operation of essential services."
Nacion.com notes that"... among the measures it plans to take in the short term, in addition to insisting that the Legislative Assembly approve the reforms to sales and income taxes, are:
- Use a decree to put the brakes on budgetary modifications that represent an increase in expenses.The scope of this measure does not affect 95% of the state budget. - Put a stop on the purchase and rental of properties for the Government with public resources, except for those buildings destined for infrastructure works. - A moratorium not to issue new declarations of public interest that represent tax exemptions. - Repeal of the Law to Decrease the Entry of Capital, in order to promote the entrance of investments to the country."
According to Moody's, the plan to reduce expenses announced by President Solís will not be enough to solve the illiquidity problem being faced, nor to avoid a rise in local interest rates.
The plan to cut costs that are not mandatory in the budget, such as the suspension of public purchases that have not yet started to be implemented, will not be enough to avoid the impact of the fiscal deficit on local interest rates.This is the opinion of the rating agency Moody's, regarding the cost cutting plan announced by President Solis to address the fiscal problem that is affecting the country.
The 2017 budget drawn up by the government of Costa Rica is the result of an arithmetic exercise, where the political will of the Solis administration has barely reduced maintenance and has increased privileges in the dominant state corporations.
As in old fashioned patriarchal homes, if there must be suffering, the first to suffer are the stepchildren, and only afterwards, if necessary, the legitimate children.
EDITORIAL
The announcement by the Solis administration that it has a plan B in case it does not manage to get legislative approval for the proposed tax increases designed to address the serious and growing fiscal deficit, highlights the existence in Costa Rica of first class citizens and second class citizens.
The Chinese government has announced that it will not buy bonds worth $1 billion offered by Costa Rica, seriously delimiting the leeway that the Solis administration has to manage its growing fiscal deficit.
The lack of political conditions to implement greater controls on government spending and to gain approval for a fiscal package which would tidy up state finances is preventing multilateral lenders such as the World Bank or the IMF from lending money to Costa Rica, meaning that, after the elimination of the option to sell bonds to the Chinese government, Costa Rica will have to resort to the domestic market for funds, which will inevitably push up the cost of money for all sectors, including production.
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