On Saturday, June 27th, entrepreneurs, merchants and economists from Guanacaste had the opportunity to discuss the present economic state of business in Guanacaste with economists Alvaro Ramos and Cristie Castro during an event organized by The Voice of Guanacaste and sponsored by Banco Popular.
Participants listened to the speakers’ opinions on the current fiscal situation of the country as well as the present and future of Guanacaste’s economy— the agricultural export sector, local business, exchange rates, interest rates, productive chains with the tourism industry— who referred to international examples and metaphors from everyday life to make some economic concepts easy to understand.
Alvaro Ramos, a 31-year-old Costa Rican, has a doctorate in economics from the University of Berkeley, USA, and has extensive experience in the public sector since he was managing director and vice minister of the Ministry of Finance, an analyst for Banco Central and currently superintendent of pensions and professor at the University of Costa Rica’s School of Economics.
Cristie Castro, a 28-year-old Costa Rican, is a specialist in banking and finance and has more experience in the commercial banking sector.
During the roundtable discussion, some of the audience asked questions about tax issues, the current business situation and the future of investment in the province.
Mariela Estrada, a lawyer, commented on how the regional economy— made up mostly of small and family businesses— is being affected by the general ignorance that people have on tax regulations and the legal implications that this can have on their businesses, with the fiscal operations carried out by the General Taxation Direction.
The unfavorable environment for local business ventures was another subject that worried the audience.
On the other hand, businessman Carlos Barrantes asked the experts about the possibility of including the use of renewable energies in agricultural production and the economic and legal repercussions that this would have with the current regulatory framework.
For Marianela Moreno, participating in this activity was very interesting and beneficial. This lawyer from Filadelfia applauded the quality of the speakers and congratulated the newspaper for organizing this type of event to promote informed dialogue and an exchange of ideas with renowned experts on problems facing our communities.
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