Independence Day is time for a patriotic dress |
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| Sunday is Independence day, and
Luz Marina at a Mercado Central shop displays her patriotic dresses. Marchers
will be out in force Sunday, and 6 p.m. is the time to stand curbside and
sing the national anthem.
Political events are scheduled in San José and Cartago Saturday
and
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A.M. Costa Rica/Saray Ramírez
Vindas
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tax evasion culture By the A.M. Costa Rica staff The bulk of the Costa Ricans are indifferent to the management and use of their tax dollars, and this indifference results in tolerance toward tax evaders, according to President Abel Pacheco. "I call on all those taxpayers to abandon the indifference over the use and ends of the money they pay for taxes," Pacheco said as also called on the public to eliminate their hostility toward taxes. Pacheco was speaking at a morning meeting with the contralor general of the Repúblic where experts have been hard at work conducting studies and analyses of the Costa Rican tax system. The meeting was a time to report that the seven-chapter report was finished. The meeting and the report blend nicely with Pacheco’s goal of increasing taxes and tightening up the system. Pacheco said the report would be helpful in better understanding the attitudes of the public and was a step forward in creating a positive tax culture in Costa Rica. A number of Costa Ricans don’t like to pay taxes because they believe that the quality of the service they get from the government is inadequate, said the president. Others do not like their tax money going for the extensive social programs run by the state, he said. Pacheco said that he understood the dissatisfaction Costa Ricans feel about taxes. When a taxpayer sees the shameless way that some public servants take advantage of their positions to steal the public money, their blood runs cold, said Pacheco. The solution is to pay the taxes and, at the same time, demand honesty in the management of funds, austerity in spending and efficiency in actions, he said. Pacheco took over a government deep in debt where politicians spend 30 percent more each year than they collect. They finance the shortfall with more debt. He has proposed a short-term and a long-term solution. National deputies are trying to craft a plan of tax increases. The major proposals are for increases in business taxes, now in the 40 percent range, and the cost of running businesses. A value-added tax may or may not be passed, but certainly some increase in the current 13 percent sales tax will be approved. No decisions have been made, but trial balloons have been floated about taxing foreign income, cigarettes, alcohol and the purchase of luxury cars. The report by the Contraloría was drafted by academics. The report says that Costa Rica will face challenges due to the demands of international treaties and in other areas. Also studied by the report is the income from the customs service. Costa Rica has a complex and time-consuming tax system. The bulk of the reporting still runs on paper. Although each transaction must generate official receipts bearing a company’s tax number, the Dirección General de Tributación has no way to check but a fraction of the forms submitted. Many sales are not reported and many incomes are deliberately understated. Pacheco’s proposals have caused concern in the expat community because
residents here fear their foreign incomes will be taxed twice. However,
no decisions have yet been made by deputies on this topics.
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I am delighted to hear from readers. Some of you are under the impression that I know a lot about Costa Rica. Now that I think about it, I guess the title of this column would imply that. The fact is, I don’t know nearly what one would expect after living here 10 years. Apropos of that, I want to share what my readers know. Roland Shanklin has a recommendation for a lawyer: She is Ericka Montoya. Roland writes, "I've known her for many years. She's young, enthusiastic, honest, and, can you believe, writes everything down and always gets back to me. She speaks excellent English. You can call her at work (276-6891) or on her cell phone (395-0500)." Evelyn Dodero has some food recommendations: "In San Ramon, across the street from PALI is a small arcade that has a little fish market on the right hand side. Sandra makes a delicious fresh cheviche. I love it. Large is 400 colones and small is 300 colones. In the same clean colorful arcade is Soda Gaby’s with good food at good prices. This is REAL Costa Rica, a nice side trip for folks going to Zarcero or San Carlos. It is small but interesting." I have no idea where San Ramon is, so you see how little I know about Costa Rica. Regarding what people take home from Costa Rica, Bonnie Hano says "I don't agree about the new smoked tuna. Even though it's not nearly as good as the large cans with the picante, it is still good, and I am hoarding mine. But I did use a can last week for pasta for the two of us and really, Jo, it was awfully good." (I feel obligated to add that I gave her that recipe.) She also takes back Costa Rican cinnamon. She says, "The stuff we get here (California) doesn't compare. I also bring albahaca (dried basil). It's cheap and has a wonderful basil flavor. Los Patitos Black Pepper, both peppercorns and ground, is better than any I've tasted except maybe what is sometimes found in specialty stores." (I will add that you could stock your spice cabinet very cheaply here. And most of the spices and herbs come in small packets so they won't lose their potency before you use them.) I also heard from two readers about Lizano sauce. I can’t find their letters now, but Marco said I failed to mention it. It was his tactful way of telling me I had spelled it Lisano. And there were some guaro lovers who regret not taking back a case of the stuff. Evidently guaro is the local legal moonshine. It is made from cane sugar. My editor can tell you more about that. Then there are the pet peeves. Remember the habit Ticos have of honking as soon as the light has changed? Shirley Yamada told me a story that still has me chuckling: She assures me this really happened, "My husband recently drove up to a red light. Another car pulled up in the lane next to him. When the light turned green, the man honked, and he was the first in line. He had automatically honked — at himself!" Annetta Kaufman is still upset about being a clutterer. Another problem she has, she says, is doing too many things at once — and that leads to clutter. I never thought of the connection. I always have half a dozen unfinished activities going on at once. People who do that I call "jugglers," and those who finish one chore and go on to the next, are "beeliners." I wasn’t surprised that I, too, am a juggler. It must be in the genes because Annetta is my sister. The gene must skip a generation because my mother and my daughter, Lesley definitely are not clutterers. Thank you, everybody who contributed to this column. I must go now and finish making breakfast, put the laundry in the spinner, and finish putting my stuff away in my newly tiled, newly painted, newly clean apartment. I am so happy to be back home! More Jo Stuart: |
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How to live, invest or find romance in Costa Rica 
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