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.
"Public debt in terms of simple average for the Central American region will continue growing, reaching 43.1% of GDP in 2018, after having registered 42.5% in 2017."
The Central American Institute of Fiscal Studies (Icefi) estimates that for the current year the size of public expenditure of the Central Government in relation to the respective Gross Domestic Product of each country will be 21.4% in Costa Rica, 20.4% in El Salvador, 20% in Honduras, 18.4% in Nicaragua, 17.6% in Panama and 12.1% in Guatemala.
The good functioning of the institution in charge of collecting taxes is vital for ensuring economic development, as it means that honest companies who comply with their fiscal obligations are not at a disadvantage to those who don't.
EDITORIAL
In Costa Rica, better administrative management has made possible better income tax collection figures than those foreseen with simple tax increases.
In Costa Rica, the Ministry of Finance is using a predictive model designed with data mining techniques to determine the behavioral patterns of companies that might be circumventing tax payments.
Analyzing and crossing checking historical information from multiple databases, the statistical model used by the Directorate General of Taxation attempts to predict which companies are more likely to evade paying taxes depending on their historical behavior measured through transactions, tax returns and other data.By linking all of the information, they identify patterns of behavior similar to those of other companies that have evaded taxes in the past.
According to the ICEFI, "tax incentive policies seem to be a lost opportunity because of permanent tax expenses and the lack of tangible social benefits."
From a statement issued by the ICEFI:
Within the framework of the international meeting on Tax Justice and Transnational Fraud, held in Costa Rica, a study was presented on October 20 entitled 'The effectiveness of tax incentives for investment in Central America' in which an analysis was undertaken of the Central American experience in investment attraction through tax incentives.
The analysis made by Fusades concludes that the bill aiming to collect tax debts allows assets to be seized before it has been proven that there is a real debt.
From a report by the Salvadoran Foundation for Economic and Social Development (FUSADES):
On April 6, 2016, the Minister of Finance submitted to the Legislature, with instructions from the President of the Republic and making use of the bill bestowed by the Constitution, a draft "Law for the collection of tax debts and fines owed to the State", consisting of 109 articles, divided into five titles.The project is still under study by the Commission of Treasury and Budget of the Legislative Assembly.
Legal tax engineering is a mandatory business practice for anyone who wants to be competitive in today's globalized world, and only those who are not entrepreneurs can afford to refuse to acknowledge this fact.
EDITORIAL
With the same firmness that we criticize businesspeople who evade taxes or bribe officials to get a contract, we must defend every business practice which is framed within the law to pursue the best use of available resources to generate wealth through the production of goods and services, which is what businesses do.
The agreement signed with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development implies limitations on banking secrecy, and an obligation to exchange tax information.
From a statement issued by the OECD:
El Salvador joins international efforts to combat international tax evasion
01.06.2015 - El Salvador has signed the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, becoming the 86th signatory on the most complete international tool for boosting cooperation against international tax evasion.
The average tax burden for the region is 13.4% of GDP, while the average public expenditure increased from 18.7% in 2013 to 19.2% at the end of 2014.
From the Introduction of the report Macrofiscal profiles in Central America, from Instituto Centroamericano de Estudios Fiscales (Icefi):
The fiscal situation has worsened in Central America in recent months, mainly due to a structural lack of sufficient resources to meet the needs of Central Americans and realize many of the commitments made by governments.
A bill aims to tax properties of any value that either do or do not have constructions on them, and which do not have a specific use anywhere in the country, declaring them "luxury goods".
The proposed law states that "... property for recreation, leisure or rest, with or without construction or under construction, regardless of its value or location , such as houses, lots, plots, villas located in beaches, lakes, mountains or the city ...
The private sector is opposed to the conditions in the third reform package the outgoing government intends to implement, claiming that state expenditures should be reduced first.
More control of public spending and no new taxes are the demands from employers to the government, which aims to increase government revenues with a third reform and the issuance of $800 million in bonds.
Companies indicted by the Tax Administration for not paying taxes will be able to use tax solvency certificates allowing them to access credit, sell property and take part in public tenders.
An article in Laprensagrafica.com reports that "... The judges on the Administrative Board of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) ordered the approval of documents that allow a business to present itself as a solvent (no outstanding tax to pay) to other entities."
The technical redefinitions that make up a successful tax reform should be based on a reformulation of the social contract which establishes national goals.
Nacion.com reports that "According to Augusto de la Torre, Chief Economist at the World Bank, the fiscal debate is more than just an economic debate, it is almost a philosophical debate about the kind of state we want to have."
Two or more operations may be comparable as long as there is no economic difference between them that can affect the price of a good or service.
Jose Molina Calderon's article in Prensalibre.com reports that "for the purposes of determining a price or amount that can be agreed between independent parties in comparable transactions in conditions of free competition as referred to in Chapter VI of the Tax Update Law (LAT by its initials in Spanish), comparing the conditions of transactions between related persons other comparable transactions between independent parties.
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.