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| A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page | |
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San
José, Costa Rica, Monday, Dec. 23, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 253
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Petition
against Infinito Ltd.
approaches 300,000 signatures By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A petition asking Infinito Gold Ltd. to call off its $1 billion case against Costa Rica has received nearly 300,000 signatures, a Canadian organization said. The petition campaign is sponsored by the United Steelworkers, MiningWatch Canada, Blue Planet Project, Common Frontiers and The Council of Canadians. Infinito is expected to present the case soon the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, a World Bank organization. The case involves the annulment of the Las Crucitas open pit gold mine project by the Tribunal Contencioso Administrativo. The petition sponsors also expressed their unhappiness with the trade treaties negotiated by the government of Canada. Said the sponsors in a release: "For the last 20 years, Canada has pursued and negotiated trade and investment agreements that promote and protect the rights of investors at the expense of human rights, labour rights, and environmental standards. The conduct of Canadian mining companies such as Infinito Gold is one of the results of that agenda. Canada must revise or renegotiate its existing trade and investment agreements and pursue an investment agenda based on respect for human, community, labour, and environmental rights." Infinito, which is based in Calgary, is bringing the case under the Canadian-Costa Rican trade treaty, which guarantees fair treatment of foreign corporations. The petition organizers said that these treaties provide an unjust framework that allows companies to bypass domestic court and government decisions when they don’t suit their interests. The release said of Infinito "your threatened suit against Costa Rica is quickly becoming a poster child for the problems with the international investment framework created by free trade agreements and foreign investor protection agreements to prioritize corporate profits over the well-being of communities, workers, and the environment." The release also suggested that an alleged donation from Ronald Mannix, Infinito’s largest shareholder, to the Arias Foundation in 2008 could have had an impact on support by former President Oscar Arias on the project and will press for Canadian authorities to divulge all of the information available in this regard. The release called for the continued legal prosecution against members of the Arias administration. The La Crucitas project received a concession long before Arias won the presidency. But he did declare the project to be in the national interest that allowed the firm to begin cutting trees for the mine pit. The campaign says on its Web site that Infinito slapped Costa Rica with a $1 billion lawsuit because the nation decided to protect its rain forests rather than host an open-pit gold mine. The Web site shows a lake and a dense jungle unlike the forest around the proposed mine site in Cutris de San Carlos. The arbitration case will be decided by a panel of three persons. One picked by each side and the third selected by the first two. Heredia quake felt widely throughout Central Valley By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of from 4.5 to 4.8 took place Sunday afternoon near Vera Blanca in Heredia. The epicenter was very deep, perhaps as much as 100 kilometers, but the region is heavily populated, said the Laboratorio de Ingeniería Sísmica at the Universidad de Costa Rica. Perhaps a million people live within 50 kilometers of the site, it noted. The quake was at 4:52 p.m. and it was felt moderately in many locations in the Central Valley. The Laboaratorio said the magnitude was 4.5 but the Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica at Universidad Nacional in Heredia, closer to the quake, said 4.8. This is in the same general area that was hit by the Jan. 8, 2009, quake that killed at least 34 persons. Half of vehicles covered for 2014 By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Instituto Nacional de Seguros said Friday that the road tax for more than a half million vehicles have been paid. That represents about half the vehicles in the country. The payment is due by the end of the year or there is a fine. Our reader's opinion
too cheap for sovereign stateChinese road deal
called
Dear A.M. Costa Rica: Could not help but take note of the following paragraph in today's issue which goes a long way to prove that Costa Rica will do most anything to obtain foreign aid. The following aspects are especially disturbing: lack of competitive bidding; interpreted in conformity to Chinese law (a moving target at best); renunciation of immunity Costa Rica may have as a sovereign state. "The agreement specifies a direct award to a Chinese firm without competitive bidding. The contract also said that all rights and obligations under the contract will be interpreted in conformity of Chinese law. The measure that was before lawmakers also says that material to be used in road building can be imported without the payment of customs duties. Costa Rica also would renounce any immunity it may have for being a sovereign state." To think that Costa Rica would entertain a renunciation of their immunity as a sovereign state for such a piddling amount. J.
H. Penner
Richmond, British Columbia |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Dec. 23, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 253 | |
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Tourism police check the documents of persons leaving Costa Rica at the Peñas Blancas border crossing. Some 25,000 left over Saturday and Sunday, officials said. |
 Ministerio
de Gobernación, Policía y Seguridad Pública photo
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| Ministry suggests obliquely that land
exit tax is reinstated |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The land exit tax appears to have been reinstated. Without mentioning that the tax was suspended because collection generated chaos, the finance ministry emitted a strange news release Friday. The tax has been in force since July, the release said. That statement was contrary to what expats have experienced. Nov. 26 the ministry issued a release saying that Banco Crédito Agrícola would be collecting the tax and that credit card machines eventually would be placed at strategic border crossings. It also said that officials would start to collect the tax. When the tax went into effect Dec. 2, hardly anyone making a border crossing knew abut it, and there was no easy way to pay it. Since then workers at the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería referred all questions to the Ministerio de Hacienda. And that ministry stayed mum until Friday. Without actually admitting that the tax had been suspended and implying that the tax had been collected since July, the ministry gave a list of locations where the tax could be paid. Some expats had been paying the tax at the bank and collection was spotted at the border crossings. The locations where payments will be accepted appears to be new because late last month, the ministry said that the tax could only be paid at branches of Coopealianza as well as the Banco Crédito Agrícola. |
Some bus lines, such as Tica Bus,
had been collecting the tax. In addition there is a $2 fee for x-ray baggage inspection even if the traveler has no baggage. There does not seem to be a firm date when the credit card machines will be installed. In addition to Coopealianza and the major international bus lines, the following firms will sell the exit tax, according to the ministry: Viajes Colón with four Central Valley locations; Viajes Faytur in Grecia and San José; 3 Monkeys Tour in Filadelfia, Guanacaste; Cast Corp. in Escazú, CATOURS in Sabana Oeste; Daily tours in Plaza Mayor, Rohrmoser; Excursiones Marvi in Hatillo. Also, New World Quality; Swiss Travel in San José, Ciudad Colón and Guanacaste; Servicios Turisticos Ecológicos in Heredia; Viajes Nacionales Isla Bonita in San José downtown; Cactus Tours in Hereida; Plus Papagayo in Liberia; Libería y Bazar María José in Sixaola; Viajes Ejecutivos Mundiales in San José; TAM in Los Yoses and Servicos Rápidos de Viajes FAST in San José. The immigration agency reported over the weekend that the flow of travelers at Peñas Blancas into Nicaragua was orderly. There was no mention of the exit tax. Officials estimated that 200,000 persons would cross the border into Nicaragua during the days leading up to Christmas. the border posts were open for 24 hours through tonight. |
Let there be lights Three blocks of decorated houses in San Joaquin de Flores, Heredia, are drawing lots of holiday light fans. Traveling to see Christmas displays is a long-time tradition here. Certainly on the list is the Museo de los Niños in north San José, a legal office building at Avenida 2 and Calle 40 as well as all the public buildings and churches decked out by the Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz. |
 Photo by John Koger
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Dec. 23, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 253 | |||||
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| Modified corn reduced borer population so it no longer is
needed |
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By
the Pennsylvania State University news service
Populations of European corn borer, a major corn crop pest, have declined significantly in the eastern United States, according to Penn State researchers. The decline suggests that the use of genetically modified, borer-resistant corn hybrids, an expensive, yet effective, solution that has been widely adopted by farmers, may now be unnecessary in some areas. The borer, which was introduced to North America from Europe in the 1900s, used to be the most important pest of corn in the United States, said John Tooker, assistant professor of entomology. "Not that long ago, it caused crop losses that annually approached $1 billion nationwide, and $35 million in the northeastern United States." According to Tooker, to protect their crops from European corn borer, many farmers have grown a genetically modified type of corn that produces insecticidal toxins that kill the worms. These toxins were isolated from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. Hence the name is generally called Bt. The use of modified crops in Costa Rica is controversial. "These Bt corn hybrids have been widely adopted because they are exceptional for managing ECB. 99.9 percent of larvae are expected to die when they feed on plants expressing Bt toxins," he said. "Yet a drawback to using these hybrids has been the high cost of purchasing the seeds, which can decrease potential profits." To understand current borer populations in Pennsylvania field corn, the researchers assessed larval damage in Bt and non-Bt corn hybrids at 29 sites over three years. Specifically, they planted Bt and non-Bt corn hybrids on farm sites across four growing zones in Pennsylvania in 2010, 2011 and 2012. During September of each season, they assessed corn borer damage on 400 random plants at each site. They sliced open stalks, and recorded the number of ECB tunnels and larvae per stalk. They also evaluated corn ears for ECB damage. "Our results confirm that we are seeing widespread population declines of |
 Pennsylvania State University photo
This corn stalk collapsed
because of the corn borer.ECB in the East, similar to declines that have been found in the Midwestern United States," said Eric Bohnenblust, graduate student in entomology. "With less ECB damage around, non-Bt hybrids in our tests yielded just as well as Bt hybrids, so the decline in ECB populations provides an opportunity for growers to generate greater profits by planting high-yielding non-Bt seed, which is much cheaper than Bt seed. Secondarily, planting more non-Bt corn will reduce the potential for ECB to develop resistance to Bt toxins as corn rootworms have done in about a dozen states so far." The team's results appeared in an early online edition of the journal Pest Management Science in December. |
Here's reasonable medical care
Costa Rica's world class medical specialists are at your command. Get the top care for much less than U.S. prices. It is really a great way to spend a vacation. See our list of recommended professionals HERE!amcr-prom
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Dec. 23, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 253 | |||||
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 Voice of America photo
This is a printer making a
chocolate heart.3-D printing
seen as big boost
for nations in development By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The growth of 3-D printing technology brings opportunities scientific, entrepreneurial – even culinary. Some people are using the devices to build custom creations out of chocolate. “I don’t know if it’s good chocolate,” said Prabhjot Singh, director of additive manufacturing at General Electric, which uses 3-D printers to make parts for aviation and advanced energy-generation machinery – presumably out of non-edible materials. The process delivers performance while producing designs and prototypes for parts more quickly. Three dimensional printing uses a digital model to create a 3-D object by adding consecutive layers of material to it. That requires a digital model, raw material that can include plastic, metal and well, chocolate, and a personal or industrial-strength printer. “This means that almost anyone, located almost anywhere can own and operate a machine,” said Terry Wohlers, president of Wohlers Associates, an independent consulting firm. “We envision individuals in small villages in remote areas of the world could operate these machines to produce basic products for their villages and neighboring villages. Over time, it could develop to become an important source of economic development in a community.” And it can be done without access to a manufacturing facility. “That’s the beauty of 3-D printing,” he added. “‘It does not require a large capital investment or major infrastructure to operate.” Large companies use industrial-strength 3-D printers that can cost more than $1 million to meet high demand. But Wohlers says ”simpler products, such as jewelry, sculptures, games and puzzles can be produced on low-cost equipment.” Despite the cost, some developing countries already use 3-D printers. Singh says India and China already have “pockets of their economies that are able to afford such machines,” while Brazil and South Africa are getting into 3-D manufacturing on a smaller scale. India and China have robust research communities, says Singh, and China, which is printing large structures and pursuing aerospace applications, is deploying the machines quite widely. For General Electric, the advantages of 3-D printing for large aerospace applications can be game-changing, Singh said, although in his view, 3-D printing’s radical advantage is customization. “If you can customize parts to a user and … make it much better for that person to use that part, then that is quite revolutionary,” he said. The prospect tickles the imagination of Kate Ganim, co-director of mobile design education firm KIDmob and a team member of iLAB//Haiti, a non-profit group that helps Haitians prototype 3-D-printed umbilical cord clamps for clinics, build chairs without rulers or parts for broken machinery. She is excited about the potential of 3-D printing, particularly for bypassing “weak or corrupt infrastructures in developing countries and for providing prosthetics – a great application in Haiti, says Ms. Ganim. “A massive number of people lost limbs in the 2010 earthquake,” she said. “We could conceivably 3-D-print prosthetics to custom-fit the folks that need them. This would be mass customization.” Ms. Ganim says the group is “exploring how far we can push the technology” and would be interested in additional rapid prototyping technologies, as well as recyclers. With materials like a spool of ABS filament selling for around $45, Ms. Ganim says the group would like to “convert printed ABS plastic back into printable spools.” iLab//Haiti hopes to harvest plastic from garbage, sterilize it and convert it into spools for printers. NSA spying will be aired in a U.S. legislative hearing By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A U.S. lawmaker says the data collection practices of the National Security Agency will be the focus of a congressional hearing next month. The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patrick Leahy, says the already embattled U.S. National Security Agency will be subjected to further scrutiny when lawmakers return to Washington in January. Appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press program, Leahy, a Democrat, said the committee will review a presidential panel’s recommendations for overhauling bulk data collection that has provoked outcries at home and abroad. “The first public exposure to what the panel has said is going to be before the Senate Judiciary Committee in a couple weeks,” said Leahy. Last week, President Barack Obama said he is reviewing 46 recommendations put forth by the panel to better protect private communications and personal information while satisfying U.S. intelligence needs. Leahy says the saga of fugitive former NSA contractor Edward Snowden makes it clear to all that the agency must be reformed. “They did such a poor job, the NSA, that a sub-contractor was able to steal all their secrets,” said Leahy. Also appearing on NBC was Rep. Peter King, a Republican, who warned against impeding America’s intelligence apparatus. “I do not think everybody has to know what a spy agency is doing. By their nature, a spy agency is kept secret. This is all, to me, a debate generated by the hysteria caused by Edward Snowden. What do we reign in? A system that works? Let us not unilaterally surrender,” said King. King added that, had the NSA possessed in 2001 the capabilities it has today, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks might have been prevented. Leahy said the United States needs an effective spy agency, but one that is accountable to the American public. Israeli officials are unhappy at reports of monitoring By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire service
Israel has reacted angrily to reports the country was a target of espionage by the United States. Senior officials in Jerusalem are demanding an end to U.S. spying on Israel after revelations the National Security Agency intercepted e-mails from Israeli leaders. The allegations were disclosed by former NSA contractor and whistle blower Edward Snowden and published in several Western newspapers. The reports said from 2008 to 2011, the NSA targeted e-mail addresses belonging to then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. The issue topped the agenda at Israel’s weekly Cabinet meeting. “This is not legitimate,” said Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz. He said Israel was “not tracking the U.S. president, White House or secretary of defense.” Steinitz said Israel and the United States had an intelligence alliance and shared the most sensitive information; and therefore he said, allies must reach an agreement not to spy on one another. Israel joins the list of other top American allies who have been targeted by the NSA, including France and Germany. The issue touches a raw nerve in Israel because of the case of Jonathan Pollard, a former American intelligence analyst who was sentenced to life in prison in 1987 for spying for Israel. The case strained ties at the time and has been a sore spot ever since. The United States has repeatedly rejected Israeli requests for Pollard’s release. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Cabinet that Israel was continuing to press President Barack Obama to free the ailing Pollard and allow him to come home to Israel. Israel’s response was uncharacteristically angry. Officials said it was necessary to issue a strong protest, but they have also made it clear that Israel would not allow the affair to harm relations with its best friend and ally, the United States. Astronauts delay next walk due to problem with spacesuit By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Two astronauts from the U.S. space agency completed their initial work faster than planned during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station, but a problem with a spacesuit has postponed the second spacewalk by one day. The problem came up in the cooling unit of veteran astronaut Rick Mastracchio's spacesuit when he re-entered the space station airlock. NASA says the problem is not related to a situation in July when a still-unexplained problem nearly drowned an Italian astronaut whose helmet filled with water during a spacewalk. Saturday's venture outside the orbiter is the first since then. A second spacewalk that had been planned for today will now take place Tuesday. Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins removed a faulty ammonia pump Saturday while working outside the orbiter for more than five hours. The faulty pump shut down part of the station's critical cooling system several days ago. Work has progressed so well that a planned third spacewalk later in the week may not be necessary, if repair work can be completed Tuesday. Saturday's venture outside the space station was the 175th since the orbiter was first occupied 13 years ago. The space station has been using a backup system for cooling internal and external equipment for several days. The problem with the pump has forced the astronauts to turn off all non-essential equipment, including some science experiments. Stock market surge in 2014 still has some analysts wary By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U. S. stock markets made strong gains in 2013, climbing more than 3,000 points since January. The Federal Reserve decision to trim its stimulus as of January encouraged investors further. Analysts are all smiles about 2013 but slightly wary of 2014. The ticker in Times Square tells the story. The runup in investment portfolios during 2013 has been dramatic, and most analysts attribute it to the work of the Federal Reserve. Peter Cardillo, chief market economist, Rockwell Global Capital, says it has been an exciting year." "Of course the markets have done quite nicely. Stocks have enjoyed a nice runup, investment portfolios are at their highest level," he said. "Part of that is due to the fact that the government, the central bank, has been extremely generous. They put a lot of liquidity into the market." John Allison of Unio Holdings says the Fed reducing stimulus bond buying by $10 billion to $75-billion, may have a negative effect on the stock market. "The Fed has been a big buyer of mortgages. The Fed has been a big buyer of U-S bonds, which has put money into the hands of the U.S. government, which then, in turn, spends it in the economy, whether it is individuals, contractors, the defense business or what have you," he said. "That has been the overwhelming reason why there has been a tailwind in the market." Allison says, "As that happens, I think interest rates will continue going up, and markets have a perverse way of not liking interest rates going up no matter how good the environment. So I see the U.S. as a bit of a mixed bag." Most analysts agree that people should stay with their investments even if the market goes down and say it is a good time to buy. Stephen Brown of New York University's Stern School of Business supports the theory of long-term investing in the market. He says, "Anyone investing in the markets is investing for longer term, so what happens in the short term nobody can say. But in the longer term, if we believe in America, we believe that this is a reasonable way to invest your money. The market and most investors do not like uncertainty. The Fed’s recent move to trim the stimulus but keep interest rates low is an effort to reduce that uncertainty, support growth in the U.S. economy and give confidence to the rest of the world. Lockerbie anniversary brings pledge to find out the truth By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The United States, Britain and Libya Saturday pledged their full support for efforts by their investigators to bring those behind the 1988 Lockerbie airliner bombing to justice. In a joint statement on the 25th anniversary of the downing of Pan Am flight 103 in which 270 people were killed, the three governments said they were determined to unearth the truth behind the deadliest such attack in Britain. "We want all those responsible for this most brutal act of terrorism brought to justice, and to understand why it was committed," they said in the statement, issued by Britain's Foreign Office. "We are committed to cooperate fully in order to reveal the full facts of the case," the statement said. "We will all provide full support to the investigation team to enable them to complete their enquiries successfully." The Tripoli government, trying to establish its authority after NATO air power helped rebels overthrow Muammar Gadhafi in 2011, wants to show its willingness to help its Western partners clear up the many unanswered questions about Lockerbie, an attack which for years kept Libya an international pariah. British Prime Minister David Cameron praised the fortitude and resilience of those affected by the bombing, as anniversary services were held in Britain and the United States. Most of the victims of the explosion over Lockerbie in Scotland were Americans on their way home from Europe for Christmas. Eleven people died on the ground as the New York-bound jet plunged from the sky after a bomb exploded in its hold some 38 minutes after leaving London's Heathrow airport. Libyan intelligence officer Abdel Basset al-Megrahi was the only person ever convicted over the attack. He was found guilty, in association with others, of the bombing in 2001 but released from jail on compassionate grounds eight years later amid huge controversy both in Britain and America. He died of cancer last year. Megrahi always protested his innocence, and his family is considering lodging another appeal to clear his name. In 2003, Gadhafi accepted Libya's responsibility for the bombing and paid compensation to the victims' families but did not admit personally ordering the attack. After his overthrow and killing in 2011, two Libyan prosecutors were appointed to work with Scottish and U.S. investigators trying to identify the other perpetrators. One man they want to question is Abdullah Senussi, Gaddafi's former intelligence chief, who is awaiting trial in Libya for war crimes allegedly committed during the 2011 uprising. Earlier this week, Libyan Justice Minister Salah Marghani said he planned to allow the prosecutors to talk to Senussi. "What we are working on is finalizing the arrangements for this as much as obtaining the evidence that's available with the UK and US authorities," he told ITV news. "We all need to know the facts," he said. U.S. health care system said to be most expensive in world By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Americans have the most expensive health care system in the world, although they don't have the most efficient one. Additionally, they don't get the most for their money. That's the assessment of two recent studies of health care in the U.S. Now, researchers are paying more attention to where the money goes and what changes can be made to improve health care. U.S. health care costs have doubled in the last 30 years, but Americans are not necessarily healthier than they were in the 1980s. Hamilton Moses analyzed the changes and trends and published his findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “All of our information comes from publicly available sources. That’s a very important point. This is freely available information, although the challenge was to compile it in a way that was interpretable,” said Moses. The researchers found Americans spent between $2.5 trillion and $3 trillion dollars on health care in 2011, more than any other developed country. The report highlights two major factors that are driving up costs. The first is that the price of medical and administrative services has gone up, along with the cost of drugs, procedures and devices. Moses says Americans' love of technology is part of the problem. "The U.S. has a technology bias. We have a technology preference. We look to technology for the solution of all problems,” explained Moses. The second factor is simple to identify, but more complex to address. Poor lifestyle habits, such smoking and over-eating, have resulted in epidemic levels of obesity and diabetes as well as heart disease, joint pain and lung diseases. Managing chronic disease is expensive. “We have not invested heavily in chronic care management or for that matter in health care service innovation nearly to the degree that we have in medical technology,” said Moses. Many of these diseases can be prevented though exercise, diet and maintaining a healthy weight, yet in the U.S. prevention has not historically been part of medical care. Consulting with a nutritionist, either by phone or in person, or participating in wellness activities can be expensive, and those services are not normally covered by health insurance. “The overall amount of spending that occurs with people who have chronic illness is about 85 percent of the total,” said Moses. Moses' research shows that those who spend the most on chronic disease are not elderly, and that their investment in care does not guarantee a long life. Meanwhile, a new report from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development shows that the U.S. spends between 250 to 300 percent of what other member nations spend. Despite that, the United States trails other developed countries in life expectancy, coming in at 26th place out of the 36 members of the organization. U.S. and EU negotiators say pact will have high standards By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The chief European Union negotiator on a major trade deal with the United States says the proposal is not an attempt to deregulate health, safety, and finances. The EU's Ignacio Garcia Bercero spoke with journalists in Washington Friday at the end of the third round of negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Some critics of proposed trade deals between the United States and many other nations accuse Washington of trying to use trade talks as a stealthy way of cutting regulations that are disliked by business interests, such as protections for labor rights. Bercero says the complex deal under consideration instead upholds the highest standards of consumer, environmental and other protections. U.S. negotiator Dan Mullaney says the two sides are working as quickly as they can to craft a deal that actually boosts trade, economic growth and jobs. He says the United States and the European Union already have nearly $4 trillion invested in each other's economies, and exchange almost $3 billion a day in trade. |
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| A.M. Panama |
A.M. Colombia |
A.M. Guatemala |
A.M. Honduras |
A.M. Cuba |
A.M. Nicaragua |
| A.M. Venezuela |
A.M. Central America |
A.M. Dominican Republic |
A.M. Ecuador | A.M. San Salvador |
A.M. Bolivia |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado S.A. 2013 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M. Costa
Rica's sixth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Dec. 23, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 253 | |||||||||
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Corporate tax for
2014 increased to 199,700 colons By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The country's tax on corporations is going up about $20 for 2014. The tax is keyed to the salary of a judicial worker, as are many other fines and fees in Costa Rica. When the judicial worker gets a raise, as they all do each year, the so-called base salaries goes up, too. Lawyer Allan Garro of Cartago noted that the Registro Nacional had posted the new amount. That amount is 199,700 colons for active corporations and half that, 99,850 colons, for inactive ones. The law that created the tax specified that active corporations will pay one half a base salary. The Poder Judicial said Friday that the base salary will be 399,400 colons. The tax is due at the end of January. After that the amount draws interest. In dollars, the tax is about $405 for active corporations and $202.50 for inactive ones. Costa Rica may arbitrate El Salvador customs claim By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The country took a step further towards pressing its claim against El Salvador under the Central American Free Trade Treaty. Costa Rica complains that El Salvador fails to provide preferential tariffs on imports from Costa Rica. Costa Rican commercial negotiators met Friday with the treaty commission in San Salvador but no agreement was reached, the Ministerio de Comercio Exterior reported. The next step, the ministry said, is to seek the establishment of an arbitration panel. Costa Rica made a formal complaint Sept. 23 about the way El Salvador is treating products that originate in Costa Rica. All Central American states are supposed to be bound by the free trade agreement although trade relations with the United States was discussed more when the treaty was being drawn up. Man, 21, detained as suspect in Escazú moto bandit case By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A 21-year-old man has been detained, suspected of being the Escazú motorcycle bandit. The Judicial Investigating Organization conducted a Friday raid at the man's home in San Antonio de Escazú to make the arrest. Agents said there are two cases that are attributed to the man. The first was Oct. 23 when two women were confronted by a man on a motorcycle in the Santa Teresa section of Escazú. He pulled a gun and they surrendered their belongings. The second case was last Nov. 28 in San Antonio when another pedestrian was confronted by the motorcycle bandit. |
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| From Paghe 7: Japan will accept Tico pork and products By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The country's pig processors can resume shipment to Japan, the Ministerio de Comercio Exterior said Friday. The Japanese had closed down the pork market for Costa Rica over fear of a contagious viral pig disease. The malady called classic swine fever had not been seen in the country since at least 1997. Costa Rica declared itself free of the disease in 2009, said the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization. However, Japan did not recognize this declaration and suspended pork imports. Pork production is a big business in Costa Rica. The Food and Agricultural Organization estimated in 2009 that there were 125 commercial farms in the country and that more than 12,000 family farms raised pigs. The agency estimated that there were 336,000 pigs in the country, and the per capita consumption was about 9 kilos. Costa Rica has been trying to increase exports to Asia. The commerce ministry said that the Japanese Embassy here has been working with the Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal to insure that the pork is disease free. The suspension also was lifted for pork products, such as sausage and bacon, said the ministry. |
