The business sector welcomes the progress achieved with the tax reform approval in the first debate, but notes that it does not fully solve the financial problems facing the government.
In the debate last Friday, the representatives approved the file number 20.580, known as the tax reform law. The approval was optimistically received by the Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations of Private Business Sector (Uccaep). However, they affirm that several adjustments should be made to public spending to achieve long-term solutions.
In the absence of ratification of the Agreement, the agricultural sector sees its 2013 and 2014 harvests in danger, as European buyers are already negotiating with other Central American countries.
Alvaro Saenz, president of the National Chamber of Agriculture and Agribusiness (CNAA), said the delay in the approval of the CAAA compromises the sector since on June 15 Europe will announce which countries will enter into the first block of the trade agreement to set export quotas.
A good part of the agroindustrial production could lose its share of the quotas allocated to the isthmus by the AACUE if the Legislature does not ratify the EU agreement in time.
Failure to approve the Agreement for Free Association between Central America and the European Union (AACUE by its initials in Spanish) before 15 May, could mean that Costa Rica will be excluded from the allocation of quotas for access to Europe.