Local news and opinion reaching the communities of nosara, samarA and Nicoya
Log in |
Return to homepage
home regional community sports entertainment surf nature health en Espa�ol English
     
Archives
December 09
January 2010
February 2010
Water Edition
March 2010
April 2010
May 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
September 10
October 10
November 10
December 10
January 2011
February 2011
March 2011
April 2011
May 2011
June 2011
July 2011
August 2011
September 11
October 11
November 11
December 11
January 2012
February 2012
March 2012
April 2012
May 2012
June 2012
July 2012
August 2012
September 12
October 12
November 12
December 12
January 13
February 13
March 13
April 13
May 13
 
Media
Partners
  El Pais
  Inside Costa Rica
  Costa Spirit
  Q Costa Rica
  Today Costa Rica
  El Sabanero
connect
FaceBook
Twitter
 
CLASSIFIEDS
 
community
  Nosara Animal Care
   
  Nosara Info
   
Esquelita de Nosara
  Friends of Nosara
   
  Nosara Civic Association
  Nosara
Wildlife

Rising Prices Hurt the Pocketbook

By Irina Guzmán

First the price of gas went up, next the price of bus tickets and finally the government added a 13% tax on products in the basic food basket. It’s time to take out the calculator and grab the pocketbook because everything is going up in price and your bill could reach an unforeseen amount. 

Fuel prices experienced the biggest hike in the last years as four adjustments that the Autoridad Reguladora de Servicios Públicos (ARESEP- Public Services Regulatory Authority) had pending went into effect.  Super gasoline increased by 109 colones (about 22 cents) per liter, regular by 107 colones (about 21 cents) and diesel by 70 colones (14 cents). 

Continuing with bus tickets, ARESEP increased tariffs for public transportation at the national level by 13.8%. Among those affected is route 503, which connects San Jose to Nicoya. Bus users now have to pay 1335 colones ($2.67) more, making the cost of a ticket 4780 colones ($9.56).   

In addition, as of April 30, the Ministerio de Hacienda (finance ministry) published the first decree of a 13% tax on 90 products that belonged to the common basic food basket, but since many of these products are used by everyone, complaints were heard by various sectors until a new list of products was elaborated. 

After a few days of charging the new tax, the government modified the decree that would have added a 13% sales tax to flour and wheat bread, milk, beans packaged in sealed plastic, honey, salt, canned tuna, sausages and cheese. However the 13% tax still applies to cuts of meat that the finance ministry considers “fine” like sirloin and steak fillets, as well as tuna filet, codfish and salmon.

With all of these increases, the reactions of people are not surprising (see box “What do you think of the new food tax?”), especially coming into low season when income tends to be less. 

 

What do you think of the new food tax?

Antonio Méndez Montero, Supermercado La Paloma, Nosara

 

"The problem of the 13% that the government just imposed is a matter of how the tax package wasn’t approved….  The government has to do something because if not the crisis is going to intensify more…, but I think it has to begin from the government downward." 


Kathy María Solana Leiva, Musmani en Nicoya Centro

 

"It was done and at the same time changed again because the president said to… It is difficult now to buy those products because it gets more expensive all the time and now people go for whatever is the cheapest." 


Alfredo Montoya, Nicoya

 

"This is a question of the mental state of the Hacienda and the new finance minister to evaluate all these aspects.  We all have to pay but it’s just a little tale that the one who has more should pay more and that the one who has less should pay less with this; it doesn’t work because the wealthy of Costa Rica aren’t affected in the least by the 13%.  They are always going to eat sirloin."


Luis Fernando Hernadez Carrillo, Nicoya

 

"I see it as too bad because I am a pirate taxi driver and besides the rise in gasoline, which has had three increases, nothing has gone down.  Besides that they raise products 13% and it comes out harder for the economy.  Everything is hard.” 


Jessica Matarrita Aleman, Nosara

 

“Now the situation is very difficult because it’s not the season to raise [the price of] things. At least for us, we pay rent, light, water, then for food; so it’s very little what we buy for the house since many things are going up a lot, and more so with little ones. Now one can’t buy like before.”


 

More Regional News

Pictures and News of the Month

The Voice of Nosara brings you a brief recap of June stories you might have missed.

Montaña River Flooding May Wash Away Bridge Fill

The concern is twofold for the residents of Nosara when it comes to transit routes in their community. The roads are in poor condition and the Moñtana river bridge is unfinished.

Ministry of Health and Municipality Look to Eliminate Street Venders

Friday morning, June 22, a group of officials from the Ministry of Health and the Municipality of Nicoya decomissioned merchandise from a group of women street venders that display their products in front of the Court of Justice in the city of Nicoya. 

Wealthy US Citizens dumping Passports to Avoid Tax in Costa Rica

As taxes continue to rise in the United States, the upcoming expiration of the Bush Administration tax cuts and a proposed 55 percent tax increase on the horizon for the wealthy, an increasing amount of the United States’ wealthier population is disillusioned.

Health Department Shuts Down Artisan Tables in Samara

On Friday, June 22, representatives of the Ministry of Health shut down the tables where local artisans have been selling their wares. This is the second time the artisans have been shut down and left wondering where to go or what to do to continue working and supporting their families. 

Representative Mendoza Supports Nosara’s Demonstration

Juan Carlos Mendoza, legislative representative of the Citizen Action Party (PAC-Partido Acción Ciudadana), recently visited Nicoya. VON took advantage of the opportunity to talk to Mendoza and get his opinion about the possible demonstration by Nosarans and the project of the Costal Territories law. 

About 2000 From Nosara Will Protest on July 25th
• Demonstrators Will Demand Pavement for Route 160

Members of different social and community organizations from Nosara will march to Nicoya July 25th to request that the government incorporate pavement over route 160 in the budget. 

Commission Reports that 90% of Proposed Regulatory Plan is a Cut and Paste Job

On Wednesday, June 6, the Administrative Commission of nine community representatives presented an extensive report to the Municpal Council of the Canton of Nicoya, recommending that the council completely reject the proposed regulatory plan elaborated by the Spanish company Inypsa.

Nicoya Mayor Will Protest Against the Government on July 25 Celebrations

Marco Antonio Jimenez Muñoz, mayor of Nicoya, Guanacaste, announced that he will protest against Laura Chinchilla Miranda’s government, on the Day of Annexation because of the "deplorable state of national roads in this area.”

Pictures and News of the Month

The Voice of Nosara brings you a brief recap of the May stories you might have missed.

The Order to Close Pedregal is for Land that Was Not Being Exploited

Several Nicoyans are asking themselves how is it that the company of Pedregal can continue to work on the site of La Calera, at the entrance to the city of Nicoya. The reason is that the Environmental Administrative Tribunal, which ordered a temporary cessation of Pedregal in Nicoya, made this resolution due to a second site where the company was working in 2009.

Servicentro Nicoya Under Scrutiny for Closing Passageway and Possible Illegal Construction

Servicentro Nicoya, located 100 meters from La Anexion Hospital, is under the watchful eye of the Municipality of Nicoya, the Controller General of the Republic, the Environmental Court and residents of the El Carmen neighborhood. 

Nosara’s Economic Forecast Looks Sunny

As the dust from dry season settles metaphorically and literally, merchants and business owners in Nosara are counting their spoils.

Mystery of E.Coli in Carrillo’s Estuaries Goes Unsolved

This year Carrillo only earned one star instead of two in the Ecological Blue Flag program because of a study that revealed high presence of E.Coli in the beach’s estuaries. Although so far the ocean water is still safe for swimming, that could change if action is not taken to find and remedy the problem. 

Nicoyan Auditor Owes Municipality 15 Years of Taxes
• Municipal Council Approved Sending Case to the Controller
• Official Was Suspended for Three Months

At the same time that ministers of the Republic have been under investigation for evading taxes, the internal auditor of the Municipality of Nicoya, Gilberto Lizano Elizondo, has also been under investigation for evading real estate taxes since 1997, as detailed in a report by the directive organ that investigated the case.

Contact us: NOSARA [email protected] / PUBLICITY and ADVERTISING [email protected]
Copyright 2012© The Voice of Nosara