Authorities Investigate
Misuse of Tax Free
Gasoline Destined For
Fishing Boats
thorities say they are
investigating the case
of one million litres of
tax free gasoline that
was to have been used in
fishing boats, suspected
that that the fuel never
left land.
Fishermen can purchase
gasoline for their
fishing boats that are
exempt of taxes in a
form of subsidy for the
industry.
However, the police
investigation is
concentrating on fishing
boats that have been
docked for some time
waiting for repair,
though the owners of
boats have continued to
purchase fuel. The area
of concentration by the
authorities is the
Nicoya peninsula, Playa
Coyote, Isla Chira and a
number of other small
communities on the
Pacific coast.
Preliminary
investigation results
include the likes of the
vessel Yuri and
Katherine in Playa
Coyote that have been
docked for repairs,
though the owners are
recorded to have
purchased more than
1.000 litres of tax free
fuel per month. In the
case of Katherine, the
vessel has been in dry
dock for more than three
years.
The investigation is
concentrating on where
is the tax free fuel
going, authorities
suspecting that it is
either being resold or
used by family members.
The Instituto Mixto de
Ayuda Social (IMAS) is
the government agency
that provides the
subsidy to fishermen,
even in times when the
season does not permit
it. Authorities suspect
that IMAS is also
subsidizing distributors
of the subsidized fuel,
that is sold from
informal gasoline
stations in the small
communities along the
Pacific coast.
The IMAS has paid
subsidies of more than
¢360 million colones
(us$690.000) in the last
three months.
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