Canada and Costa Rica have concluded a third round of talks on the expansion and modernization of their existing free trade agreement (FTA). The latest negotiations were held in Ottawa, with a fourth round scheduled for June. The original FTA entered into force in 2002 but did not include provisions in areas such as cross-border [...]
When he was a young man living in Costa Rica, Dr. Franklin Chang Diaz wrote a letter to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration saying he “wanted to come to the United States and be an astronaut.” He got back a form letter saying, “Careers with NASA are generally limited to U.S. citizens.” But Chang [...]
SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA, April 18 (Reuters) – Costa Rican president Laura Chinchilla announced a new set of measures to contain the country’s growing fiscal deficit, after a draft tax reform bill was thrown out by a high court a week ago. In a seven-minute address on national television, Chinchilla said her government plans to [...]
What should I do, bring my car or buy one already here? That is the dilemma for many of us living in Costa Rica or soon to be living here. Anyone looking to purchase a vehicle in Costa Rica soon find out that used vehicle and new one for that matter, are a lot more expensive here [...]
Costa Rica has introduced a new annual tax on all corporate structures, pegged to average public sector salaries. For ‘active companies’ registered in Costa Rica, i.e. those undertaking commercial activities, the tax is equal to half the average monthly base salary of a public sector employee. For ‘inactive companies’, those used to house personal assets [...]
APM Terminals’ Moin Container Terminal (TCM) Concession Agreement with the Government of Costa Rica has received final endorsement from Costa Rica’s Comptroller General Office. With this, APM Terminals will be able to start the 18-month implementation phase performing all the required studies and final design work which once completed, will be submitted to the Government [...]
Semana Santa, or Easter Holy Week, is something that should not be missed in any Latin American country. Costa Rica, being the Catholic nation that is, is no exception. This is a great time to see some of the rich culture of the area as each province and town holds dramatic religious processions and services [...]
Napa Valley wine consultant Kerry Damskey has pioneered Costa Rica’s first commercial winery. Damskey told Decanter.com he planted 4ha of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Grenache in December 2011. The winery and vineyards are located above the small city of Copey in central Costa Rica, at an altitude of 2000m. ‘Costa Rica will present [...]
As Albert Einstein once said about filling out tax returns, “This is too difficult for a mathematician. It takes a philosopher.” But philosopher or not, everybody knows it’s that swell season of the year again, with only a month to go before the United States IRS tax filing deadline of April 15th. And yes, even [...]
Last year Costa Rica suffered less from the effects of inflation, than any other country in Central America, according to a ranking (Spanish only) published this week. Tight control over the cost of regulated services was one reason for the favorable results. Not all the news was good, however, since major causes for low inflation [...]
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