Old habits are dying hard
at Costanera bridges


The highway agency said that even though all the bridges are in service now on the Costanera Sur, some motorists and pedestrians continue to use old bridges. They suggested they were perplexed at these actions.

The word came from the Consejo Nacional de Vialidad. The agency said all the new bridges are now in service. This includes new bridges at Parrita, Paquita and Naranjo.

The new bridges were awaited by the population for 60 years, and now some are not using them, said Alejandro Molina, executive director of the agency. He said the agency soon would put up signs to warn against the practice. The new bridges have sidewalks and cycle lanes, he noted.

Four other bridges also are in service. They are at Savegre, Hatillo Viejo, Hatillo Nuevo and Portalón where there are no adjacent older bridges.

The Costanera has been long awaited. At the same time that this route appears to be nearly completed, so is the San José-Caldera highway. Operators of the Autopista del Sol said there are just five more kilometers awaiting asphalt. Traffic continues to use the road even though part of the route is gravel and dirt. This is the toll highway that will cut off about an hour's time for a trip between San José and the Pacific coast. Some motorists will chose to head south when they reach the Pacific and end up on the Costanera.

Pirate CD vendors held


San José municipal police have detained a Colombian and a Costa Rican, and confiscated thousands of pirated movies on CDs.

The men were detained on Avenida Central. They were among the many persons who try to sell articles, including illegal CDs there.  After the arrests, representatives of the film industry filed complaints based on the movies the man had in a briefcase and in his car.

Crayons lack exclusivity


It's not that election officials are afraid voters will do harm to themselves. They have decreed that the Feb. 7 nationwide ballots will be marked with crayon. This concept is new this year, and some lawmakers wondered what might happen if a voter marked a ballot with something other than the prescribed crayon.

One lawmaker make an official inquiry of the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones. The response was that every marked ballot counts even if the crayon is not used, as long as the will of the voter is clear.

Law of clarity in tax law
creates pitfalls for expats

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

Thank you, Mr. Klenz, for clarifying the mind boggling lack of clarity in the new Luxury Tax.

It's as if it were written in accordance with a wish list with no further thought other than immediate gratification. While nearly every foreigner I know who owns property here would willingly pay a reasonable tax to improve infrastructure and living conditions in Costa Rica, they are deeply hampered and frustrated by this law's lack of clarity, its unreasonable conditions and draconian fines. It appears that this law is a case of putting the cart before the horse due to its lack of thought.

It would also appear that lawyers and appraisers will be the ones to profit handsomely. They have descended upon foreigners like vultures at a roadkill, and from the numerous sales pitches I've read so far they don't hesitate to put their own spin on the law, all of them quoting wildly different facts and figures requiring the taxpayer's compliance.

Prices for their services also vary from the reasonable to outright gouging. We all know that Costa Rica needs tax revenue however the success of this law will be limited by its failure to furnish the taxpayer with a clear and user-friendly explanation of how to comply and by its preposterous fines. The 5 percent and 10 percent fines are off the charts and are enough to scare even the wealthiest investors off in light of the fact that the law makes it almost inevitable that honest mistakes will be made.

During a time of economic crisis everyone is striving to limit their financial risks and this law exposes taxpayers to unreasonable risk.