Costa Rica to introduce 5% cement tax

All Costa Rican cement, whether produced within the country or imported, will produce a communal tax of five per cent, according to a bill that seeks to eliminate a distortion in the market.

The tax is currently only applied to companies that produce cement in Guanacaste, Cartago and San José. This puts the product of two of the country’s three cement companies at a disadvantage when compared with with imported cement.

The bill to bring the new tax is supported by President Carlos Alvarado and deputies of the various legislative sections.

“You need to define even rules for all the actors, since it is a completely private sector that participates in the activity; then, both imported cement and that produced in the country must have the same rules,” said the president.

The president of the Costa Rican congress expects the tax will be approved in a regular session to have it ready before December.