Archive for March, 2009
Thursday, March 12th, 2009
Costa Rica business Set to Benefit from New Tax Law.
In order to mitigate the effects of the economic crisis on Costa Rica, the Costa Rica Tax Administration authorized a special accelerated depreciation for all new assets (as in tangible property) increasing the acceleration of the useful life to 60% from the previous 50%. This measure applies to all new assets purchased from January 2009 until the end of the year. The move comes as part of President Arias’s new “Shield Plan” that hopes to protect the country from recession by implementing a series of temporary fixes to promote commerce and protect Costa Rica jobs.
Accelerated depreciation refers to any one of several methods by which a company, for ‘financial accounting’ and/or tax purposes, depreciates a fixed asset in such a way that the amount of depreciation taken each year is higher during the earlier years of an asset’s life. For tax purposes, accelerated depreciation provides a way of deferring corporate income taxes by reducing taxable income in current years, in exchange for increased taxable income in future years.
According to the Costa Rica Tax Administration, the accelerated depreciation is a smart move to confront the weakening economy by promoting investment because this measure allows companies a larger deduction when determining how much income tax is due. This should help soften the decision to acquire new assets when the world’s economists are telling people to save big purchases for later.
Once this resolution is published in “La Gaceta” it won’t be necessary for companies to specifically request authorization to use the special accelerated depreciation from the Tax Administration. The only requirement is that the owner prove that the assets were acquired during 2009. This can be proven with the accountant register or with legal documents.
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Thursday, March 12th, 2009
Canada has been eliminated for the CONCACAF under-20 men’s soccer championships, and denied a place in the world championship, after a 2-1 loss to Costa Rica in its final round-robin game Wednesday.
A win would have advanced Canada (1-2-0) to the quarter-finals of the North American championship and assured it of a berth at the under-20 World Cup for the fifth straight time.
Marcos Urena’s goal in the 72nd minute sent Costa Rica (2-0-1) through instead.
Randy Edwini-Bonsu, who had both goals in a 2-0 victory over Mexico on Monday, gave the Canadians the lead in the 11th minute, but David Guzman tied the game for Costa Rica in the 25th minute.
Canada opened the tournament with a 1-0 loss to host Trinidad and Tobago.
Trinidad and Tobago (1-0-2) drew 2-2 with Mexico (0-2-1) in the Group B finale.
The failure to qualify comes after Canada hosted the tournament in 2007, when Canada was the only country not to score a goal in the tournament. The Canadians were also the first host country not to score in the 16-year history of the competition.
Canada has participated in eight of the previous 16 FIFA U-20 World Cups, including each of the last four (Argentina 2001, UAE 2003, Netherlands 2005 and Canada 2007).
Costa Rica finished first in Group B with seven points and will face Group A runner-up Honduras in Friday’s semifinals. Trinidad will face Group A winner United States.
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Thursday, March 12th, 2009
A strongly felt shook Panama and parts of Costa Rica on Wednesday, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage.
The quake hit at 11:24 p.m. local time , sending panicked people running out of buildings in the Costa Rica port city of Golfito and knocking items from shelves in several southern towns.
The magnitude 5.7 quake was centered 58 miles west of David, Panama, more than 200 miles from San Jose, the Costa Rican capital, said the U.S. Geological Survey.
It was pretty strong and caused a scare but so far we’ve only had calls to report minor damage from items falling, said Luis Madrigal of the Red Cross in the Costa Rican city of San Vito de Coto Brus, near the epicenter.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake in January left 23 dead in Costa Rica.
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Wednesday, March 11th, 2009
An earthquake estimated at a 5.7 magnitude rattled the Golfito area about 11:24 a.m.
The movement was felt all over the country.
The epicenter was reported to be 15 kilometers (10 miles) west southwest of the community of Golfito. That would put the location in the western side of the Gulfo Dulce not far from the Osa Peninsula. No damage was reported by the Fuerza Pública or the Cruz Roja in Costa Rica. Police did say that schoolchildren were sent home as a precaution.
The U.S. Geological Survey estimated the depth of the quake at 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). It said the epicenter was about 175 kilometers (110 miles) south of San José.
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Wednesday, March 11th, 2009
The four beaches at Manuel Antonio National Park have regained their Ecological Blue Flag status, the Environment, Energy and Telecommunications Ministry (MINAET) has announced.
The Costa Rican Water and Sewer Institute (AyA) last month revoked the Blue Flags, which recognize cleanliness and eco-friendliness in the country’s beaches, citing the risk of sewage contamination. But the move was predominately a precautionary measure, as AyA officials said at the time that beaches in the park remained in good condition.
Health Minister María Luisa Avila gave MINAET an extension through the end of June to implement the plan, after threatening to close down the park because of the poor sanitary conditions.
The Blue Flags were returned to the park’s beaches after MINAET proposed a plan to rectify the sanitary conditions at the park itself, according to MINAET Vice Minister Jorge Rodríguez. The ministry will install portable bathrooms for tourists while construction begins on new, permanent bathrooms and a sewage treatment facility for the park.
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Wednesday, March 11th, 2009
I was watching the evening news and was saddened to see so many people who have been affected by the collapse of the world economy. In Sacramento, California people are living in tents just like during the Great Depression. The same thing is happening in Seattle and other cities. I saw a piece on Japan and they are also in terrible shape.
I really consider myself to be lucky to be living in Costa Rica Rica. We don’t have people living in tents nor have we been hit like the States and the rest of he world. There have been layoffs and a trickle down effect which have affected tourism and other sectors. However, we don’t have large manufacturing like the U.S. auto industry so we haven’t been affected that much.
As I mentioned in a previous article we are used to being self-sufficient here. We can grow almost everything we eat and the people have been living off the land here for hundreds of years. Costa Ricans are used to living with a lot less which is good. Most people who retire here adopt the frugal style of the locals and learn to spend less money. Fortunately, consumerism isn’t as big as in the U.S. so there are less things to waste money on.
Costa Rica seems to be out of the mainstream of the world news . You never hear anything negative mentioned in the U.S. media about Costa Rica. The country has a low profile when it comes to world events. No news is good news for us. However, there was a great story on the evening news recently about the area of Nicoya, Costa Rica that has a huge number of centenarians due the healthy lifestyle of the people who live there.
I really feel blessed to have discover this beautiful little country where life is so good.
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Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
Roxi, a giraffe weighing 50 kilos and standing 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) tall, was born at Costa Rica’s Africa Mia animal park, becoming the first of her kind to be born in Central America, the press reported on Monday.
“This is a great success for Africa Mia because it’s the first time that such a delicate exotic species is born in Central America. It’s great news because everything worked out well,” the park’s veterinarian, Tania Pivovarova, told reporters.
Roxi, who was born on Sunday and is doing well, is the daughter of Adriana.
Park officials said Roxi could soon have company since another female giraffe, Amapola, is pregnant.
Roxi, an articulated giraffe from the African savanna of Kenya and Ethiopia, was named for Roxi Blen, the mother of Africa Mia owner Mario Sotela.
Africa Mia, which opened in 2005, is located in Liberia, a city in the Pacific coast province of Guanacaste, some 200 kilometers (124 miles) west of San Jose.
The park exhibits African wildlife, including zebras, giraffes, antelope, ostriches and warthogs, as well as local species, such as deer and monkeys.
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Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
Imaging Foundation continues its efforts to educate people around the world about the Shark Finning Problem. PRETOMA and The Shark Coalition continues to work toward the same goal.
(San Jose, Costa Rica – March 9, 2009) – Members of the Shark Coalition, represented by experts of the Humane Society International (HSI), participated in a meeting of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Committee on Fisheries (COFI) last week (March 2-6) in Rome, Italy, where Costa Rica led the call for a global “fins-attached” shark conservation strategy. Joined by 10 other Latin American countries, Costa Rica formally requested a U.N. workshop to address the barbaric and wasteful practice of shark finning.
Each year, around the world, tens of millions of sharks are hauled up on deck, where their fins and tails are sliced off and the (often still-living) sharks are then thrown back overboard to die a lingering and painful death. The reason for this shameful waste is the demand for shark fin soup. The effect has been the devastation of shark populations worldwide. Some shark populations have declined by more than 90 percent in the past 20 years. Some may never recover. (more…)
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Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
Costa Rica severs ties with Taiwan, but will Beijing get its money’s worth?
- Beijing inundates Latin America with its diplomatic presence.
- Talks in early phases over a bilateral free trade agreement between Costa Rica and China.
- China’s signing bonus results in the start of construction of Costa Rica’s new National Stadium.
Costa Rica and China may seem to be an unlikely pairing; however, both governments have moved to deepen their ties and cement regional integration based on the pursuit of a free trade agreement, which was brought a step closer by the completion of the first round of negotiations on January 19. Costa Rica, one of few nations lacking an army, is a unique example of a Central American country that over the years has displayed a respect for democracy and human rights amidst a region ridden with political turmoil and unremitting violence. It is known for its strong agricultural and technological sectors, and it has benefitted enormously from tourism, as well as from a vibrant industrial sector for which it receives a considerable amount of foreign investment due to a relatively stable political atmosphere.
China, on the other hand, has one of the world’s fastest growing armies. In recent years, Beijing successfully has sought the position of being a leading player in the global political economy by focusing its efforts on acquiring resources and pursuing commercial opportunities which has made it the envy of its neighbors. At the same time, Costa Rica has mastered the art of ‘soft corruption,’ capped by the bizarre phenomenon of witnessing one president after another publicly being investigated for exacting bribes from foreign corporations and businesses. In other words, aside from all of its attractive attributes, the country should also be known for its puffery, vanity, self-absorption, and flexible ethics. (more…)
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Monday, March 9th, 2009
Environment, Energy and Telecommunications (MINAET) Minister Roberto Dobles has resigned from his post, according to a statement issued Friday by President Oscar Arias’ office.
The president accepted the resignation, the statement said.
Dobles has been accused by the media, environmental groups and the political opposition of granting a concession in late 2006 to extract materials such as gravel and sand from the Aranjuez River to a company whose board of directors included his uncle. (more…)
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Monday, March 9th, 2009
Costa Rica registered in the last 10 years 4,085 cases of pregnant women between 10 and 14 years old, according to information given on Sunday by the Costa Rican National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC).
The statistics show a permanent increase in the number of pregnancies in this age group of women which went from 454 cases in 2005 to 469 in 2006 and by 2007 there were 500 cases.
However the records on the number of minor pregnant show a clear difference regarding the amount of men between 10 and 14 years who became father in the last 10 years.
According to the INEC, between 1997 and 2007 there were only 22cases of males between 10 and 14 years old who became fathers, in 2008 not one case was registered.
Due to this situation, coordinator from the Costa Rican Social Sector Maria Luisa Avila recognized that the sexual education offered in the country is not enough.
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Monday, March 9th, 2009
Fires have burned some 8,000 hectares (19,753 acres) of forest and pastures in Costa Rica this year, with most of the losses occurring in the southern region of the Central American nation, the press reported on Sunday, citing Environment and Energy Ministry figures.
The biggest of the blazes is still burning in southern Costa Rica, near the border with Panama, consuming 1,000 hectares (2,469 acres) of forest and pastures, and threatening La Amistad International Park, which is shared by the two countries.
The fire near the park is no longer as intense as it was, but the 55 firefighters assigned to the area have not been able to bring the blaze under control, National Fire Management Program chief Luis Diego Roman told the press.
The fire is moving close to two rivers that provide drinking water for about 20,000 people, Roman said.
Some 25 other firefighters are working to put out a blaze that was extinguished in the middle of last week but restarted on Friday, Roman said, adding that the fire might be controlled on Sunday.
The CNE emergency management office declared an alert for southern Costa Rica due to the large number of fires that have broken out in the region.
A total of 26 forest fires were reported across Costa Rica in January and February.
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Monday, March 9th, 2009
When you vacation in Costa Rica, you’ll be immersed in a warm, welcoming culture and surrounded by the natural beauty of one of the world’s still largely undiscovered Paradises. You’ll be charmed by the friendliness of the locals, usually referred to as Ticos. And when it comes to dining, you’ll find the Costa Rican cuisine, or tipico, your most affordable option although you certainly won’t suffer from a lack of culinary choices.
Especially in San Jose, your dining choices will range from classic Costa Rican to European to, at Tin Jo’s, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and even Indian. As the Costa Rican tourism industry develops, the number of dining alternatives will increase as well. You, however, may be a traveler who loves authentic dining experiences, and if you intend to eat Costa Rican, here’s some of what you can expect: (more…)
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Monday, March 9th, 2009
Bishop Jose Rafael Quiros of Limon has issued a statement along with the priests of the diocese, showing his concern for the difficult situation in which a large number of families in the diocese are living, as a result of the emergency situation following the serious flooding in November 2008 and this past February.“Year after year, Costa Rica witnesses how many families have their homes flooded and falling apart and have even completely lost their homes as a result of the flooding,” the Bishop said, analyzing the “sad reality.” According to this statement, the families have not received any solution regarding their housing. In addition to their homes, many families have also been affected in their agriculture, with the loss of products like bananas, plantains, corn, beans, rice, and others. Some have also lost their lands. (more…)
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Friday, March 6th, 2009
China is willing to continuously push forward its friendly relations with Costa Rica, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said Thursday.
Wang Jiarui, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks while meeting with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias.
The two countries reached broad consensuses on a number of key issues when Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Costa Rica last year, said Wang, adding Hu’s visit pointed out the way for further development of bilateral friendly ties. (more…)
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