Riteve Required To Pay Marchamo, No Exceptions MOPT Minister Says
Although members of the Movimiento Libertario (ML) push hard for the cancellation of the requirement of the annual vehicular inspection known as Riteve to pay the 2007 Marchamo - vehicle circulation permit - the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT) says it will not take a step backwards.

Owners of vehicles required to pay the Marchamo by the end of the year or face fines must also have the vehicular inspection certificate in hand. The Insituto Nacional de Seguros (INS) - the state insurance company that collects the annual Marchamo - requires that the Riteve be up to date or it will not issue the Marchamo.

The INS system is automated, in that if the INS has not received the vehicular inspection information from Riteve, the Marchamo cannot be issued.

There are an estimated 70.000 vehicles who do not have the inspection certificate.

Notwithstanding, a group of ML deputies was the requirement scrapped, saying it is a right to pay the tax (the Marchamo) and not be required to drive the vehicle. They argue that many Costa Ricans are more than willing to pay the Marchamo but have no intention of driving their vehicles, thus not requiring the vehicular inspection certificate. They argue that if the Marchamo is not paid in time, fines and interest are added to the cost and that is unconstitutional.

However, Karla González, MOPT minister, sees things differently.

Minister González says that the government will not take a step backwards and that most Costa Ricans have now gotten accustomed to having their vehicle inspected and in good running condition, and for those who have not, they should.

The minister added that during this year her Tránsito (traffic) officers have given out some 17.000 fines for vehicles with bad lights, for example.

Each vehicle registered in the country must submit to an annual inspection that is being operated under concession by the Costa Rican/Spanish consortium, Riteve S.A.. Taxis are required to submit to inspection every six months.

The annual inspection is a requirement for the Marchamo and without the current annual inspection, the INS will not issue the Marchamo and drivers who insist on driving without the Marchamo or the Riteve inspection, face fines and confiscation of their vehicle.

The Marchamo is due and payable by December 31, failing which fines are added as well as interest to the outstanding amount. In the past, the Policía de Tránsito has given a 15 day grace period, however, that custom has become a thing of the past, and Tránsito officials are quick to hand out fines to owners of vehicles circulating without the Marchamo.