A proposal has been made to raise the "Marchamo" (vehicle ownership tax) and selective consumption tax on vehicles in order to finance the construction of the modern train system which the Solis administration insists on implementing.
Monday, March 20, 2017
Despite the fact that last year proposals very similar to this were rejected in the Legislative Assembly, the Solis administration insists on raising funds to finance the construction of a modern train for the Greater Metropolitan Area.
The initiative"... proposesincreasing the cost of the Marchamo (or vehicle property tax), the selective consumption tax (paid when obtaining a vehicle) and the fees charged in tolls. In the case of the Marchamo, a change would be made to the minimum rate of collection (from ¢26,000 to ¢27,000) and an increase made to the percentages of the tax charged according to the value of the car.For example, currently a car with a value ranging between ¢1.3 million and ¢2.6 million incurs a tax of 1.5%; with the format proposed this would increase to 1.6% for cars between ¢1.7 million and ¢ 3.3million."
Nacion.com reports that "...The project was presented in the Assembly only last Wednesday, but the libertarian Otto Guevara has already announced his ´fierce oposición´.'A few months ago we managed to exclude from the Incofer's strengthening project these taxes and an increase in tolls.When will they understand that the most sensible option is to promote an international tender for the design, construction and operation of a system of mass transport for people by train, subway or monorail?', said the libertarian."
The new law allows the Incofer to borrow up to about $440 million to build an electric inter-urban train line through means of a public-private partnerships or trusts.
Under recent government administration's proposals to build a train in the metropolitan area of the country have always been on the agenda, and the current government of Luis Guillermo Solis is no exception.His administration proposed an initiative which has now passed into law, therefore the Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarriles has the legislative backing to seek funding and build a metro train.
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.
A bill to improve the fight against tax fraud authorizes the tax authorities to seize the assets and bank accounts of delinquent taxpayers, without a warrant from a judge.
An article in Nacion.com reports that the Technical Services Department of the Legislative Assembly has proposed a rule that "...
The main political parties running in the upcoming presidential and legislative election point to the need for tax reform.
Johnny Araya, candidate for the Partido Liberación Nacional, believes what should be done is to "create a National Tax Agency (NTA), to improve collection, as a decentralized agency of the Treasury, with a special procurement regime.
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7878Government Procurement Opportunities in the region