Business leaders in Costa Rica disapprove of the management of outgoing President Luis Guillermo Solís, who in four years was not able to propose convincing solutions to serious problems such as the fiscal deficit.
From a statement issued by the UCCAEP:
April 26, 2018.The business sector, represented by the Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations of the Private Business Sector (UCCAEP), gives a score for the four years of President Luis Guillermo Solis's management of 4.9 out of 10.
Costa Rican business leaders have expressed their dismay at the executive branch's apparent contradictions regarding the proposed agreement on fiscal issues and the strike threats made by public unions.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations of Private Business Sector (UCCAEP):
Private Sector puzzled by attitude of the Executive Branch
The stubbornness of the Solis administration to award a highly technical job to a candidate rejected by employers confirms the importance that this specific person would have in the formulation of public tariffs.
Editor's note:
This review was written hours before the now newly appointed General Regulator of Costa Rica gave notice of his resignation from his position at the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE).
The stagnation of the refinery project could be the reason for China's loss of interest in Costa Rica, after having stopped the disbursement of a $24 million "freebie", the purchase of $1 billion worth of Costa Rican bonds, the development of an industrial pole, and the extension of a road.
EDITORIAL
The diplomatic shift from Costa Rica which privileged mainland China over Taiwan - in contrast to all of its Central American neighbors- held the promise of an injection of Chinese investment and development in the country, in public infrastructure, energy, and manufacturing centers.
The prospective candidate must have magician's skills, preferably qualifications as an engineer or lawyer, and a vocation to be a punching bag.
EDITORIAL
It's been two weeks since the resignation of the Minister in charge of Public Works and Transport in Costa Rica and President Solis has not yet announced who will fill the position. And there is no doubt that it will be very difficult to find not only the ideal candidate for the job, but also someone willing to accept such an impossible mission.
A ship's captain is the person legitimately appointed to rule the ship, and must not relinquish power to rebellious sailors who want to set a course that serves their own interests and not the rest of the passengers.
EDITORIAL
In Costa Rica the crucial debate today is the weight in the country´s economy and productivity, of a minority of state officials who enjoy privileged salaries and working conditions, notably different to other workers, both in the public and private sector.
Free parking in Panama and heavy trains running through the streets of the capital of Costa Rica, are examples of some of the strange decisions taken by their governments.
EDITORIAL
While the rest of the world discourages the use of private cars as a means of transportation, increasing the costs of their use by setting, among other methods, high costs for parking in urban areas, in Panama, whose capital city suffers like any other city from the growing problems of congestion on the roads, the National Assembly recently passed a law that mandates free parking in "commercial parking lots of any kind or public offices where purchases are made, goods acquired or any services received. "
"There are many ways to define populism, but perhaps the most accurate is that it is a form of social and economic demagogy that sacrifices the future of a country for a fleeting present" - Mario Vargas Llosa
Editorial
In fits and starts, the president of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica has approved the state budget for 2015, after a majority of legislators voted against it, in an arbitrary exercise supposedly covered in a legal vacuum on the subject. Previously, the Assembly had rejected three different motions containing spending cuts in the budget, including one generated from the very same Ministry.
Once again conservationism is at the service of sectoral interests, paralyzing investment in infrastructure which is essential for halting the deteriorating competitiveness of the economy.
EDITORIAL
In Costa Rica an investment of billions of dollars to build a container port has been held up by six years of legal proceedings, and added to this will be a further 5 months due to maneuvers made by uncompromising conservationists in league with unionists.
Those who are elected to perform executive positions such as the Presidency of the Republic must be EXECUTIVES, not hide behind their shields by calling for assemblies when it comes to the responsibility for decision-making.
EDITORIAL
In Costa Rica energy, specifically electricity, has been for many years, a subject continuously on the agenda of business and policy makers because of the negative impact of its high cost on competitiveness.
In Costa Rica the main political operator of the new government has stated that from now on they are paying attention "not only to the productive business sector, but also to the social sector."
EDITORIAL
An editorial in Elfinanciero.com analyzes statements made by the Minister of the Presidency, Melvin Jimenez, who in a recent interview given to that newspaper noted that "...
Starting October the private sector and government will be working together to implement measures to improve the competitiveness and productivity of the economy.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations of Private Business Sector (UCCAEP):
The Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations of Private Enterprises (UCCAEP) and the Executive have agreed to the formation of a council to facilitate the coordination and monitoring of public policies on competitiveness, innovation and employment.
Moody's has removed the country's rating of "investment grade", citing the increase in public spending and political inability to implement fiscal reform.
From a statement by Moody's:
New York, September 16, 2014 -- Moody's Investors Service has today downgraded Costa Rica's government bond rating to Ba1 from Baa3. Moody's has also changed the outlook to stable from negative.
In Costa Rica the Solis administration, which promised that no new taxes would be applied in the first two years of its government, has granted a huge increase for public employees, and these are the same people who are now proposing a "Robin Hood" tax.
EDITORIAL
President Luis Guillermo Solís seems to be increasingly disconnected from the Citizen Action Party which brought him to power, and his government seems more and more to be the result of complex interactions within an academic union corporation, where the dominant political concepts seem to be drawn from melodramas of the sixties and seventies of the twentieth century. The main feature of the members of this outdated corporation - especially its main leaders - is the disconnect with the world of the real economy which allows them to regularly receive their salaries regardless of actual productivity of their labors.
The Tourism Regulatory Commission has not managed to meet since the month of May, which creates uncertainty and could lead to negative economic implications for the country.
From a statement from CANATUR and the Costa Rican Chamber of Hotels (CCH):
Chambers in tourism sector demand that the Ministry of Economy convene the Tourism Regulatory Commission