Survey says Ticos would tax tourism, hotels and big firms more

COMMENTS:  What gets me is how out of touch some people are.  Don't people get that Costa Rica is ALREADY one of THE MOST EXPENSIVE Latin American countries (DEFINITELY Central American) so fewer people are coming here than before?  Don't they get that Costa Rica is ALREADY at the high end of the Dental & Medical Tourism industry?  So adding extra taxes for any of these industries would make few people COME to Costa Rica and off fewer people come to Costa Rica - less Ticos will have JOBS, which means locals won't have as much $$ to do things like eat, pay their credit cards, buy school supplies, etc.  

Big businesses bring in LOTS of jobs - jobs Tico's won't have if those businesses choose to move to a country that is more Business Friendly!!!

Why is there SOOO MUCH of the "Cutting off your nose to spite your face" action going on in Costa Rica???  In other words - not looking at the bigger/longer term repercussions from such actions.  I SOOOO don't get that!!

2 areas that WOULD help the government DEFINITELY is #1 - do much higher taxes on people's homes valued at over $150,000 and do what Panama did that brought them a BUNCH of $$$ - give an Amnesty to those people that do not fall into any category that have lived in Costa Rica for over 2 or so years.  That will bring LOTS of $$$ in.

Survey says Ticos would tax tourism, hotels and big firms more

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff If average Costa Ricans had their way, more taxes would be levied on tourism, big companies and professionals. They also would tax the free trade zones. That's the result of a survey of 700 persons done by experts at Tecnológico de Costa Rica. Big companies were the biggest target. Some 84 percent of those surveyed agreed that the firms should be taxed more. Some 74.4 percent said that professionals also should be taxed more, and 39.7 percent said that medical professionals should only be paid by credit card and 61.0 percent favored electronic facturas. Both systems allow the government tax authorities to keep close track of income. Nearly 60 percent, 58.3 percent, said that tourist packages should be taxed more, and 50.3 percent said that hotels should pay higher taxes. Some 45.3 percent of those surveyed also thought that there should be more tax on shrimp, lobster, salmon, prime cuts of meat and imported fruits. Some 42.3 percent would tax private schools, and 22.3 percent would tax private medical care. Hardly anyone wanted to tax clothes or the basic food basket.

Some 92.1 percent of the respondents said that tax exonerations should be ended, and 90.9 percent urged strengthening of the tax collecting administration to reduce evasion. Some 44 percent approve creating new taxes. The average salary of those contacted was 250,000 colons a month, about $500. That is right at the average salary of Costa Rican employees. The survey reflected their desire that others and not themselves be taxed and that those who do not send their children to public school or receive medical care from the free state-run Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social should pay more in taxes. Some 89.7 would cut government spending for items that were not a priority, and eight out of 10 would cut spending for political parties. Some 60.4 percent would sell holdings of the state to generate more cash for the government. Some 74 percent said they would freeze the salaries and pensions of high earners as well as per diem payments to members of public boards of directors. The responses closely followed proposals by President Laura Chinchilla, including approval by to increase penalties for tax evasion.