Today's Stories: Minisiter Asks Riteve to Postpone Re-Inspection Charges Gasoline Prices Going Up. Again! Tax Man Posing as Customer? Pacheco Receives Diplomatic Credentials from Mexico and Nigeria In the Market for a New Cellular Telephone? Look Again. COPA AMERICA: Costa Rica Advances

The president of the Asociación de Desarrollo Integral de Paquera (ADIP), Alvin Jiménez, was captured by the OIJ, as well as the woman, Ileana Romero, (who was involved with Francesco Pécora, the supposed Canadian Investor) for fraud against the government authority ADIP. Pécora and Romero offered to invest in the Paquera, Puntarenas, port millions of dollars, signing a contract with the Jiménez, which never materialized and later found that government funds used for personal use. Pécora was detained on the 7th of June and is preventative detentioni for six months.

Air Traffic Controllers Strike Continues into Day 19! The Juzgado de Trabajo in Alajuela (covering only the Juan Santamaria airport and radar control tower), declared the air traffic controller's strike illegal. The Ministry of Transport is now waiting on a decision of the courts in San José and Liberia (for the Pavas and Liberia airports) before it will demand the controllers back to work.

Riteve announced last month that beginning this week, it would start charging for re-inspection of all vehicles. Riteve had allowed vehicle owners up to 30 days to return for re-inspection of a failed vehicle and submit it for a re-inspection at no charge. Riteve will now charge 1/2 of the original fee.

Chávez has asked Riteve to postpone it's plan for re-inspection charges for another month.

At the same time the Consejo de Transporte Público (a division of the Transport Ministry) will ask the Contraloría (Comptroller's office) for an interpretation of the method Riteve can charge for re-inspection, according to their contract.

Riteve has yet to respond and may continue with it's plan to start charging re-inspection on Friday.

Gasoline Prices Going Up. Again!
If you thought gasoline prices were high already, dip into your pockets for more.

The Refinadora Costarricense de Petróleo (RECOPE) has submitted it's 15th - yes, 15th! - request this year for an adjustment in gasoline prices before the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos, (ARESEP).

ARESEP regulates all prices for public services, like gasoline, bus and taxi fares.

The latest request by RECOPE is for a 2.7% increase in all types of gasoline. RECOPE defends it's request saying that the world price for crude has been increasing, the last few weeks alone world price on crude has increased by $5 a barrel.

The situation allows RECOPE the right to ask for an adjustment in prices. If ARESEP approves the latest request, the price for a liter of super gasoline will be set at 323 colones, about 8 1/2 colones above the current price.

ARESEP has 15 days to render it's decision, however, it is expected quickly.
 

Tax Man Posing as Customer?
The Ministry of Revenue has given the "Tributación Directa" more financial resources to control businesses under the new revenue regulations that came into effect last week.

Members of the "tributaria" (tax collector) will be now be able to buy products from businesses to see if they collecting the taxes on the goods and issuing proper receipts.

The move is close a gap in where many retailers or sellers of products don't give customers a receipt for the sale and never submit the tax to the Revenue Ministry. Also, the practice of offering customers discounts for not demanding a receipt - tax is not collected on the sale - will be a priority on the new tax collectors.

The government's financial problems are due partly to the inability to collect taxes and duties, partly to corruption of officials and the rest to consumer practices that avoid the tax man.

Violators who are caught can face a fine of up to ¢167 Million Colones to the closing of the business.

Pacheco Receives Diplomatic Credentials from Mexico and Nigeria
President Abel Pacheco in the middle of his busy day took time to receive diplomatic from two countries: Mexico and Nigeria.

The new Mexican Ambassador to Costa Rica, María Carmen Oñate Muñoz, visited president Pacheco yesterday at Presidential House in Zapote, to extend her country's diplomatic credentials to Pacheco.

Later in the day, Nigerian Ambassador, Iyorwuese Hagher, visited the chief executive to extend his wishes to closer diplomatic ties and relations between the countries.
 

In the Market for a New Cellular Telephone?
Look Again.
In the past year the Policía de Control Fiscal del Ministerio de Hacienda (tax police) confiscated some 5.300 cellular telephones from retail stores that were selling them as new, when in fact the telephones were either used, re-conditioned or outright stolen.

The retailer would not have to report or pay tax on the sale of these units.

The last haul by police occurred the Tuesday night, when a truck that had been under police surveillance as part of their investigation was stopped in Hatillo and some 2.000 cellular telephone units were found to be have been imported in the country illegally.

The find followed the raid on Monday in a shopping centre store were 1.000 units were confiscated and some 300 cellular telephones units are being held at the Customs offices at the Juan Santamaria airport.

The Revenue Ministry says that the government has been cheated out of more than ¢1.100 Million colones in uncollected taxes due to this type of operation.

Basically, cellular telephones reported stolen in other countries end up here in Costa Rica. Operators re-condition them, place them in packaging that is sold by the manufacturer or distributor and placed on store shelves to be sold as "new".

Most of the stolen telephones, according to police, come from Panama and are hidden in trucks carrying other merchandise. Customs agents at the border review the shipping manifest, however, don't inspect all the boxes and merchandise. Cellular telephones are easily hidden in school supplies, house wares, etc.

Other telephones come in to Costa Rica by way of Miami, where a used cellular telephone can be purchased there for $50, then re-conditioned and repackaged and sold in Costa Rica for as much as $200.

Customers have little way of knowing if the telephones are really "new" or "original".

According to police, there are several groups bringing in cellular telephones into Costa Rica and then selling and shipping them to retailers that have agreed to buy them and are mainly located in Montes de Oca, in San Pedro, in Escazú and Puntarenas.

Cinthya Zapata, director for Apoyo al Consumidor del Ministerio de Economía, suggests that customers of cellular telephones should demand a written guarantee from the manufacturer. If this is not done, the consumer only has a guarantee of 30 days from the date of purchase, after which, her office cannot intervene and runs the risk of buying a used, re-conditioned or stolen cellular telephone for new.

Zapata says that the majority of complaints received by her office are for cellular telephones. This year so far there have been 1.500 complaints while only 114 resulted in charges.

Zapata said that most of the complaints are because the telephone unit is not working properly, probably because it was not an original.

COPA AMERICA
Costa Rica Advances
Costa Rica beat Chile 2-1 on Andy Herron's goal three minutes into second-half injury time Wednesday night and claimed the last quarterfinal spot at Copa America.

Costa Rica advanced as the second-best third-place team and into a match with Colombia. Uruguay, the best third-place team, will meet the winner of the late Group C match between Brazil and Paraguay.

Herron's goal eliminated Chile and Bolivia, which would have qualified if the score remained 1-1.

Chile captain Rafael Olarra put his team ahead in the 40th minute when he was in the right place at the right time. Luis Jimenez's free kick glanced off the back of Costa Rica defender Cristian Badilla and in off the right shoulder of Olarra.

Costa Rica tied it just before the hour mark. Alonso Solis sent in a free kick that rebounded to Walter Centeno, whose shot from the right wing was trapped in the goal mouth by teammate Mauricio Wright, who tapped in the ball.

Herron then scored the winner with a hard shot from the right side past Chile keeper Alex Varas.

Click here the Copa America website!