The Assembly approved in first debate a bill that seeks to tax the sale and self-consumption of cement that is imported or locally produced.
The initiative establishes that the tax will be on cement imported and produced nationally, in bags or in bulk, for sale or self-consumption, of any kind, whose destination is the consumption and marketing of the product at the national level, reported the Legislative Assembly.
Until January 13, 2020, the Sworn Declaration of Liquidation of the Selective Consumption Tax on Soft Drinks may be presented in Panama, corresponding to November 2019.
Law 114 dated November 18, 2019, which entered into force on November 19, 2019, establishes a new rate for the Selective Excise Tax on Soft Drinks, which is why the e-Tax 2.0 system was modified. Due to these changes, the authorities decided to extend the deadline for filing this return, corresponding to the November 2019 period.
In Costa Rica, the Ministry of Finance proposes to apply VAT to services such as Netflix, Airbnb, Tinder, Skype, PlayStation Network and advertising on social networks, among others.
According to a resolution of the Ministry of Finance that should be in consultation in the coming days, credit card issuers would be required to receive the 13% tax.
Panamanian industrialists consider that the approach under which the new tax of 7% on carbonated beverages and 5% on other sugary beverages was defined uses discriminatory fiscal measures.
On November 18, Law 114 was published in the Official Journal, entitled "What creates the Action Plan to Improve Health and dictates other provisions to establish the selective tax on the consumption of sugary beverages and the criteria for its use", which stipulates a 7% tax on carbonated beverages, 5% for other sugary beverages and 10% for syrups, and sugar concentrates for the production of sugary beverages.
The changes that had been made to the Regulation of the Value Added Tax Law in Guatemala came into effect.
This is Governmental Agreement 222-2019 modifying the Regulation of the Value Added Tax Law, which contains provisions regarding the mechanisms for the recovery of the tax credit to exporters created by Decree 4-2019, informed the exporters' union.
In Guatemala, Congress is discussing a bill that seeks to increase the arrival of flights to the country through tax incentives for airlines, which would be coupled with the elimination of improper tax charges.
On August 14, 2019, the President of the Legislative Branch, Álvaro Arzú Escobar, presented to Congress initiative 5585, which has the support of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) and the Guatemalan Association of Air Lines (AGLA). See full bill.
In Costa Rica, taxpayers interested in benefiting from exemptions or reduced rates of payment of Value Added Tax must register with the Directorate General of Taxation.
The changes were detailed on October 15, 2019, when the resolution of the General Directorate of Taxation (DGT) No.
For interest, penalties or surcharges to be 100% forgiven, taxpayers will have until November 30,
2019 to pay their overdue taxes.
On September 26, the National Assembly approved Bill 78 of 2019, which aims to exonerate from interest, surcharges and fines of taxes that are delinquent and owed by taxpayers.
The Guatemalan Congress approved a bill that contemplates the creation of a special tax regime for agricultural activity.
Although this bill was involved in controversy days ago, as the chambers of industry and commerce expressed their opposition, Congress decided to approve the bill. See full bill.
Although Costa Rica and Nicaragua approved fiscal reforms this year, it is predicted that the expected results in terms of tax collection will not be achieved.
The document "Centroamérica: análisis sintético, por país, del desempeño de la recaudación tributaria en 2019", prepared by the Instituto Centroamericano de Estudios Fiscales (Icefi), explains that, in the case of Costa Rica and Nicaragua, the expected results in terms of improved collection are still in doubt.
In Nicaragua, there is uncertainty because the government is reviewing the tax reform without the participation of businessmen, and because adjustments to the minimum wage could be made in September.
Weeks ago, it was reported that when the government's review of the tax reform in force in the country since February is completed, businessmen consider that no tax cuts will be made, despite the fact that production costs in the country have risen considerably.
In Costa Rica, the central government's financial deficit at the fifth month of the year maintained its upward trend as a result of higher interest expenditure and stood at 2.6% of GDP.
While the behavior of the financial deficit is largely due to interest payments, the increase in capital spending also shows significant variation, which translates into better infrastructure conditions needed to facilitate the mobility of goods and people, explains a newsletter from the Costa Rican Ministry of Finance.
With the approval of the tax reform, in Nicaragua the period for exporting companies to transfer the tax credit to the producer or manufacturer was reduced from three to two months.
At the end of February, the National Assembly approved the amendment to the Tax Concertation Law, which increases from 1% to 3% the income tax of large taxpayers and also shortens the deadline for exporters to transfer the tax credit to producers, which is 1.5% on the value of FOB exports.
Until April 2 will be in public consultation in Costa Rica the regulations of the Value Added Tax Law, which incorporates the changes of the first proposal disclosed on January 29.
This is the second consultation carried out, since on January 29, 2019, the proposal for "Regulation of Title I of Law No.
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