Legislator
Proposes Bringing Back Land "Exit" Tax
Francisco Molina, legislator for the Partido
Acción Ciudadana (PAC), wants to bring back
the "exit" tax charged to all Costa Ricans
and foreigners leaving Costa Rica by land.
Currently only those leaving the country by
air pay the "exit" tax of us$26.
The exit by land tax was eliminated in 1998
when the exit tax by air was implemented.
And although the tax was being charged at
the land crossing borders of Peñas Blancas
and Paso Canoas, a decision by the Sala IV
(Constitutional Court) put and to the tax
and only legislators can create or modify
the taxes.
The Molina proposal would see a tax of us$5
for each person leaving the country, of
which us$3 would go to the municipalities
and the balance to the central government's
coffers.
The legislator says that the tax, if it were
applied today, would generate some ¢1.8
billion colones in revenue, of which ¢1.1
billion could be used by local governments
to improve infrastructure.
Molina explains that the revenue could be of
great help to the six municipalities near
the land border crossings.
Two of the communities that could benefit by
the exit tax are La Cruz and Golfito.
The mayor of the northern community of La
Cruz, Carlos Martí Gonzaga, explains that
his municipality is ready to accept the
money paid by national and foreigners
leaving Costa Rica, heading for Nicaragua.
In the south, the mayor of Golfito, Ana
Luisa Catón, said the exit tax money would
breathe new life in the area, given that due
to the current economic crisis sales at the
Depósito Libre Comercial (Golfito Duty Free)
has dropped considerably. |
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