In this scenario of economic crisis, falling tax revenues and the need to finance recovery programs, in Guatemala and Costa Rica it is already proposed to increase current taxes and create new ones.
Guatemalan authorities are already beginning to discuss the fiscal policy they will apply in 2021, when the economy will have to face the effects of the economic crisis generated by the covid-19 outbreak.
In order to access the $1.75 billion credit requested from the IMF, the Costa Rican government proposes to tax financial transactions, increase the tax on the profits of companies and individuals, and increase the tax on real estate.
On the afternoon of September 17, and in the context of a severe economic crisis that had been going on since before the beginning of the pandemic, the Alvarado administration presented the plan with which it intends to mitigate the fiscal impact of the Covid-19 crisis, a proposal to negotiate an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to obtain a credit of $1.75 billion.
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.
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.
Regulations of the Value Added Tax Law in Costa Rica are in public consultation until February 4.
From the Ministry of Finance press release:
January 29, 2019. With the aim of achieving the greatest possible citizen participation in the implementation process of the Law to Strengthen Public Finances, from today, Tuesday, January 29 and until next Monday, February 4, the Ministry of Finance will have available to the public the proposed "Regulation of Title 1 of Law No. 9635 of December 3, 2018, called "Value Added Tax Law" (VAT).
Reviewing the regulation on banking secrecy and replacing the board of the SAT with a new Administrative Tax and Customs Tribunal are part of the proposals to improve tax administration in the country.
From a statement issued by the Central Institute for Fiscal Studies (Icefi):
Guatemala.- During the session of the Committee on Public Finance and Currency of the Congress, on February 19, the Icefi participated in a specific working session to discuss amendments to the Organic Law of the Superintendency of Tax Administration (SAT ), during which the final version of the Diagnostic was released and a roadmap proposed for effective tax administration.
In 2010, when looking at total tax revenue as a percentage of GDP, Costa Rica has the highest ratio in Central America, and ranked fourth in Latin America, behind only Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.
The study on Tax Statistics in Latin America, by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), notes that while the ratio of tax revenue to GDP has been growing in Latin American countries, the average of the so called "tax pressure" is still below the average for countries who are members of the OECD.
If many large companies are granted tax exemptions for long periods of time, why not give the same exemptions to SMEs?
The analysis of the topic in an article in Laprensa.hn on the high rate of informality in microenterprises in Honduras, can be extrapolated to all Central American countries.
A critical view of the simplistic methods used in calculating the tax burden that supports an economy.
When analyzing a tax reform proposal, the first argument considered is what is the percentage of taxes collected by the state in relation to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.
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