Questions over changes made to Costa Rica’s intellectual property law may prevent the nation from meeting the October 1 deadline for adopting the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). Costa Rican voters ratified CAFTA last year, but the Constitutional Court ruled last week that the changes, made by the Legislative Assembly, were invalid. Because they [...]
Archive for the ‘Costa Rican Law’ Category
Costa Rica’s Entry into CAFTA May Be Delayed
Posted in Costa Rican Law, International Relations, tagged CAFTA, Free Trade on September 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Costa Rica Tax Tips
Posted in Costa Rican Law, tagged Income Tax, Taxes on September 15, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Costa Rica has a unique tax system. Unlike the United States and many other countries, large portions of income are exempt from taxation altogether here. Knowing where those breaks come in can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars. If you are considering setting up a business in Costa Rica, learning to navigate the tax [...]
Working Towards a Carbon Neutral Costa Rica
Posted in Costa Rican Law, tagged Carbon Credits, Carbon Neutral, Environmentally Friendly Investing on August 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The Costa Rican government has implemented plans to offset all of the country’s carbon dioxide emissions through budgeting, laws, and incentives. Measures include promoting biofuels, hybrid vehicles, and clean energy. Another key component of the national strategy is a “C-Neutral” label to certify that tourism and certain industrial practices mitigate all of the carbon dioxide [...]
Carbon Sequestration and Reforestation
Posted in Costa Rican Law, tagged Carbon Sequestration, Environment, Reforestation on July 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Costa Rica is one of the world leaders in ecotourism; in fact, the Tico Times reports that the first six months of 2008 saw an increase of 12.5 percent (89,178 tourists) over the same period last year. Because of this, Costa Rica is increasingly investing in environmentally friendly practices. In addition to the Payment for [...]
Why Do Business in Costa Rica?
Posted in Costa Rican Law, tagged Foreign Investment on July 23, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Costa Rica is one of the safest and most attractive countries for foreign investment in Latin America. Costa Rica’s telecommunications and transportation infrastructure may be state controlled, but they are the best in the region, and the government is always on the lookout for foreign investment. The economy is being transformed from its long-time dependence [...]
Export Free Zones
Posted in Costa Rican Law, tagged Doing Business in Costa Rica, Free Zones, Investment on July 21, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Export Free Zones are the mainstay of Costa Rica’s export and investment strategy. The Free Zones are, by definition, areas of extra-territoriality for customs and fiscal purposes. These facilities are created specifically to receive imported inputs or raw materials that are manufactured, assembled or marketed as products or services and subsequently re-exported. Ease of operation, [...]
Costa Rica Seeks Creative Responses to Fuel Crisis
Posted in Costa Rican Law, tagged Cost of living, Fuel prices on July 1, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Costa Rica has taken several measures to address rising fuel prices, with publicity campaigns and new restrictions encouraging the public to conserve energy and consume less gasoline. The government is also considering measures that seek to minimize the effect of the worldwide fuel crisis on the cost of living. Traffic regulations put in place last [...]
New Medicine for the Exchange Rate Headache
Posted in Costa Rican Law, tagged Currency, Exchange Rates, Finance on June 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
For many years, the value of Costa Rica´s currency, the colon, was defined in relation to the US dollar in an unusual arrangement best known as a “crawling peg.” The official exchange rate would change daily, with a steady devaluation at an overall rate of approximately 3.294 colones a month. However, the weakness of the [...]
Telecommunications: Change is Afoot
Posted in Costa Rican Law, tagged Costa Rica infastructure, Telecommunications on May 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
La Nación reports that the Legislative Assembly yesterday voted decisively in favor of opening up Costa Rica’s telecommunications sector, currently monopolized by ICE (Costa Rican Institute of Electricity) and RACSA (Radiográfica Costarricense), both state-owned. There has been talk of privatization for years; I once worked for a company that was hoping to become an ISP [...]
