Archive for November 7th, 2008
Friday, November 7th, 2008
Owners of properties worth more than about $182,000 will soon pay a new graduated tax, the first fiscal reform since President Oscar Arias took office in May 2006.
Approved by lawmakers yesterday morning, the tax will raise an estimated ¢9.7 million ($17,000) a year to fund the state’s efforts to rebuild substandard housing, according to an estimate by the National Assembly’s budget analysis department.
The bill, which will take effect once Arias signs it, imposes an annual 0.25 percent tax on properties worth between ¢100 million ($182,000) and ¢250 million ($454,500). The tax increases with the property’s value, up to a 0.55 percent levy on properties worth more than ¢1.5 billion ($2.7 million).
The taxes must be paid in the first 15 days of each year. Properties belonging to the government, public institutions, churches and non-profit organizations are exempt.
The revenue will go to the National Housing Mortgage Bank (BANHVI), which offers grants to poor families looking to rebuild their homes and neighborhoods. About 40,000 families live in substandard housing in Costa Rica, according to BANHVI spokeswoman Susan Otárola.
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Friday, November 7th, 2008
A holistic environmental approach to reduce carbon dioxide emissions is being implemented in the Costa Rican industry. This is the first banana industry in the world to put in this strategy in place.
The ‘Banana Industry Action Plan against Climate Change’ has been handed in to the Ministry of Environment and Energy by the association of the Costa Rican banana producers. The goal of the action plan is to reduce the greenhouse gasses emissions to 0 by 2012.
A program to educate and raise awareness amongst workers will soon be implemented. The program is to teach the workers on the importance of fighting climate change and global warming due to CO2 emissions. Using a manual of environmental practices, this program is expected to succeed and reach each goal by 2012.
The holistic strategy will be implemented and measured by these points:
- Reforestation programs to create carbon sinks
- Reducing the use of fossil fuels and fertilizers
- Using bio-fuels and biodegradable plastics
- Applying bio-pesticides and bio-fertilizers
- Implementing energy-saving programs
The Banana Environment Commission was the one who developed this action plan and all actors of this industry have decided to take part and commit themselves to the plan.
More than 25% of all the land in Costa Rica is protected as national parks and biological reserves which makes the country an international leader on green issues. From 1986 until today, Costa Rica forest has increased a whooping 30%, making it the first tropical country to reverse deforestation.
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Friday, November 7th, 2008
Since the mid-1990s, growth in electricity consumption in Latin America has averaged about 5 percent per year, one of the highest and most sustained growth rates in the world and one that is expected to continue at least to 2015. To meet this demand, governments and, increasingly, the private sector and multinational financing institutions are developing new power projects throughout the region.
In Central America, electricity from new and existing plants is being transmitted from countries that have excess capacity to countries in need of electricity. This situation has made the region one of the world’s hotbeds for the development of hydroelectric projects. This has occurred alongside growth in ecotourism and the region’s identity as being a leader in sustainable development. (more…)
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