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Canada, Costa Rica To Expand FTA

TCRN STAFF — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 17:59:40 +0000

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 [...]

Canada, Costa Rica To Expand FTA © TheCostaRicaNews.com

USA’s First Hispanic (Costa Rican) Astronaut Speaks In Lawrence

TCRN STAFF — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:59:16 +0000

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 [...]

USA’s First Hispanic (Costa Rican) Astronaut Speaks In Lawrence © TheCostaRicaNews.com

Costa Rica Announces New Fiscal Measures to Contain Deficit

TCRN STAFF — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 20:23:48 +0000

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 [...]

Costa Rica Announces New Fiscal Measures to Contain Deficit © TheCostaRicaNews.com

Shipping a Car to Costa Rica – What Should I Do?

TCRN STAFF — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 17:59:35 +0000

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 [...]

Shipping a Car to Costa Rica – What Should I Do? © TheCostaRicaNews.com

Costa Rica Introduces New Corporate Tax

TCRN STAFF — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:59:30 +0000

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 [...]

Costa Rica Introduces New Corporate Tax © TheCostaRicaNews.com

Costa Rica: APM Terminals’ TCM Agreement Gets Nod

TCRN STAFF — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:59:34 +0000

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 [...]

Costa Rica: APM Terminals’ TCM Agreement Gets Nod © TheCostaRicaNews.com

Semana Santa in Costa Rica

TCRN STAFF — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 17:59:03 +0000

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 [...]

Semana Santa in Costa Rica © TheCostaRicaNews.com

First Costa Rica Winery Launched

TCRN STAFF — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:59:23 +0000

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 [...]

First Costa Rica Winery Launched © TheCostaRicaNews.com

Fat Cats and FATCA: A Warning for Retirees

Kat Sunlove — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 17:59:33 +0000

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 [...]

Fat Cats and FATCA: A Warning for Retirees © TheCostaRicaNews.com

Costa Rica Rises The Least In Cost Of Living

TCRN STAFF — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:59:25 +0000

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 [...]

Costa Rica Rises The Least In Cost Of Living © TheCostaRicaNews.com

Being Happy: Social and Natural Factors Are More Important Than Money

TCRN STAFF — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 17:59:02 +0000

Being Happy: Social and Natural Factors Are More Important Than Money (Especially in Costa Rica) It’s easy to find an online test that will purportedly tell you how happy you are. But how happy are the people of an entire nation? And which nation’s people are happiest? That’s hard to measure. So for decades world [...]

Tom Brady Vacationing in Costa Rica

TCRN STAFF — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:59:53 +0000

Tom Brady has a nice life. That might be hard for you to believe, considering his wife has been mocked mercilessly for sending an e-mail to friends and family to pray for Brady in Super Bowl XLVI and for complaining about the team’s receivers afterward and since, you know, the Patriots lost to the Giants, [...]

New Maps Provide Security for Property in Costa Rica

TCRN STAFF — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 17:59:23 +0000

A brand new initiative designed to identify properties using a ‘cadastral map’ has been implemented by the Registro Nacional (National Register) in Costa Rica. A new real estate certificate will include a two dimensional aerial view of the land or property and is designed to provide more security to owners and potential buyers of property in [...]

Mark Lugo Creative Entertainment Opens Office in Costa Rica Handling Latin America Market

TCRN STAFF — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 17:59:01 +0000

New York, NY, February 17, 2012 –(PR.com)– The very creative entertainment organization Mark Lugo Creative Entertainment ventures out into the Latin American market and opens an office in San Jose, Costa Rica, announced Josh Greene, Vice-president of Operations for Latin America. MLCE aims to provide English and Spanish brand marketing via television product placement, music [...]

Starwood’s Sizzling Aloft Brand Makes Latin America Debut

TCRN STAFF — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:59:25 +0000

Opening of Aloft Bogota Airport and Aloft San Jose in Costa Rica STAMFORD, Conn., Feb 14, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — With the highly anticipated debut of Aloft Bogota Airport in Colombia this past December 10th, and Aloft San Jose, Costa Rica opening on February 1st 2012, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. HOT -0.75% brings [...]