Comments on: Costa Rica government releases details on tax reform plan, including big increase in income tax, capital gains

By: Ken Morris

Ken Morris — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 20:51:00 +0000

My opinion too.

To amplify it, it finally dawned on me that Costa Rica’s frustrating government bureaucracy is indirectly a result of the way legislators are elected too.

Since the legislators aren’t directly beholden to the voters, they could care less about providing constituent services. This is very different from in the US, where after a person gets the runaround from a government bureaucracy, they eventually call the office of a legislator, where a staffer contacts the bureaucrats and usually resolves the problem.

This providing of constituent services by elected officials provides oversight of the bureaucracies that have no equivalent oversight in Costa Rica. As a result, while bureaucracies are frustrating everywhere, they stay frustrating in Costa Rica for a very long time.

By: Timothy Williams

Timothy Williams — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 20:15:00 +0000

Excellent point and perhaps the biggest problem in this country’s political system in my opinion.

By: Ken Morris

Ken Morris — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 20:12:00 +0000

Similar, but in the US legislators have to stand for reelection every 2-6 years and to some extent are held accountable by the voters. Here the voters barely know the legislators, who are elected by party slate, and they can’t run for reelection anyway.

By: mthorman

mthorman — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 15:00:00 +0000

That certainly sounds like politics as usual. Isn’t that what’s happening in the USA?

By: mthorman

mthorman — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 14:58:00 +0000

As usual, your thoughts are compatible with reality. I always follow your comments.

By: SDPUS

SDPUS — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 01:24:00 +0000

Bingo! The world economy simply can’t function when countries allow their wealthiest citizens to escape paying taxes.

Greece, Italy, Spain, USA, Costa Rica…it does’t matter where. Allow corporations and the wealthiest to avoid taxes, and it is your mainstream citizen who suffers.

Socialize the costs and privatize the profits. Then hope they trickle down…obviously not a recipe for creating a succsessful Social Democracy. But it seems to keep the Oligarchs happy…

By: Ken Morris

Ken Morris — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 01:15:00 +0000

I’m still fearing that congress will do nothing about the $3 billion shortfall. I hope I’m wrong, but it looks to me like the opposition bloc wants the PAC to fail more than it wants to address the country’s problems.

By: Jimmy Kirk

Jimmy Kirk — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 23:45:00 +0000

There are many of us that are citizens or residents that have to learn to live within our budget, so why is it that a governing body cannot do the same as the people they are elected to protect and speak for?

By: Ben

Ben — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 23:21:00 +0000

Costa Rica has a 3 billion shortfall so expect some crazy stuff from congress.

By: Ben

Ben — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 23:19:00 +0000

I think congress is starting to see that the country is in major trouble so expect anything.