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[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]if faced with a life threatening (and subsequently expensive cost to the insurer) illness many folks will either go private or go back to their home country for treatment thus relieving CAJA of the major expenses.[/quote]
Are you saying CAJA should just assume that people will seek outside treatment and lower their assessments accordingly? And how would CAJA know that they were going to do that?By that logic the $23,000 I’ve paid into Medicare (plus another $23,000 from my employers) is an outrageously unfair tax I’ve paid all my working life and it appears I have a bone to pick with Medicare.
Here’s an even worse “ripoff” – those same folks may never get seriously ill at all and succumb to sudden heart attacks, dead before they reach the hospital. Then what they paid into CAJA would be pure profit for CAJA. How dastardly is that?[/quote]
Steve I’m just pointing out that Costa Rica is getting a nice percentage of one’s income for the blessing of residency… while the likelihood is that should an American (or in this case a Canadian) become seriously ill (in this case cancer) they will likely seek treatmemt in a private hospital in CR or return to their home country where medical treatment is most likely better. This situation relieves CR of many major expenses in treating expats forced into the plan.
As I’ve said before as good as Costa Rica’s public medical services can be they are not on par with the private hospitals or medical services in the US or Canada.
[quote=”costaricafinca”]Unfortunately, it is a disability pension and the couple have already determined that they will [i]only[/i] use private facilities. I do know of another man, an American who was quoted a similar amount for himself, wife and child.
Another Canadian is paying over $350, applying 6 years ago, under the Investor status but it does [u]not[/u] include coverage for his longtime ‘common law wife’, as her (Rentista) Residency/CAJA fees are separate from his. Both are now Permanent residents but are trying to sell their remaining properties to return to Canada to get better access for cancer treatment that he can only get here, privately.It is not a fair playing field.[/quote]
Yet another reason the rates CAJA are charging expats are a bit out of line. As in your example above… if faced with a life threatening (and subsequently expensive cost to the insurer) illness many folks will either go private or go back to their home country for treatment thus relieving CAJA of the major expenses.
[quote=”costaricafinca”]A young Canadian man in his early 30’s, who had one pension from the Canadian military was required to pay CAJA, approx. $450 per month, last year for coverage for both him and his wife. And this was [u]before[/u] the rate changed in January. When they had first applied for Residency, they had expected to get coverage through ARCR group plan but alas new members are not permitted by CAJA.[/quote]
Ouch! I was kind of hoping the subjective part of the process took into account something tangible that provided a clue as to how the true final number was arrived at!
At $450/month and at that young age the apparent annual increases will eat up his retirement income in no time at all!
Good information Steve. Just wish there was a firm government source that gave solid numbers. For many folks going through the time, trouble, and expense of processing a residency application only to have this assessment for CAJA set during a rather subjective interview at the will of the person reviewing your application seems very unusual.
[quote=”waggoner41″][quote=”barbara ann”]besides taxes, most ex pats don’t know that if you ask you will get a ten percent discount at almost all businesses, not the grocery stores, but pharmacies,restaurants.[/quote]
It seems odd to me that we never had to ask for the 10% discount. We pay cash for everything and a 10% discount for cash is the norm with the exception of the grocers.[/quote]
Two magic words in most transactions here in Costa Rica!
“Descuento Efectivo”
Works 90% of the time… and once they know you understand it… they usually give it to you automatically. 🙂
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]I’m simply questioning the true intentions and concerns of a government that claims to be protecting the health, safety, and welfare of it’s citizen.. from some [an] unseen evil threat.[/quote]
Governments don’t act in the best interests of their citizens – they do what citizens demand (well, the ones who demand most loudly anyway), whether that turns out to be in their own best interests or not. You don’t seem to have grasped that or you wouldn’t be confused about the government’s stance on the use of tobacco. Tobacco is legal because enough people want it to be.Many of the same people who are (or pretend to be) aghast at what the NSA is up to would utterly crucify those who run the NSA if they decided NOT to do what they’re doing even though it was technologically possible AND completely legal. Now I grant that there is some debate as to how effective this program has been so far, but even if turns out that it didn’t disrupt any terrorist plots [b]so[/b] far, it doesn’t mean that it never will.
The Patriot Act, under which this program was authorized, passed the US Senate by a vote of 98-1 (The one senator who voted against, Russ Feingold, was defeated in his next re-election campaign). The US House voted for it 357-66.
[quote=”Imxploring”]Leaders like sheep.[/quote]
Am I a sheep then? Why do you assume that anyone who disagrees with you is a sheep? It’s more than a little arrogant to assume that there can’t possibly be any other reason someone may have a different view on this.[/quote]Just a couple of quick points.
“Tobacco is legal because enough people want it to be.”
There’s a heck of a lot of people that would like ALL DRUGS to be legal. But remember… like smoking all are addictive and have serious health consequences to the user and others. The issue with smoking is that the GOVERNMENT makes the majority of the profit on a product being sold that KILLS people. Yet they want you to give up your freedoms to protect you from some faceless threat when there’s a much larger one being sold on every corner. It just seems to me to be a MAJOR conflict.
As to the Patriot act… in troubled times serious and sometimes detrimental changes are made in haste that have unanticipated consequences.
You seriously can’t believe that ANY of the politicians that voted for the Patriot Act had ANY, AND I MEAN ANY, idea to what extent this “protection” would be carried out to in spying on the American people… hell Steve when Snowden dropped the news most of Washington was running for cover because what he had to say was news to them too! I’d bet most of those that voted for it didn’t even read it or understand what they were voting for. The same goes for ObamaCare.
[quote=”Scott”]Hi, I also live here, I have also paid the luxury property tax.
I have also visited the Hacienda to chat about this because to begin with they told me my apartment was not liable for the luxury tax and then, when I sold it, they said I had to pay just under $6,000 in luxury property tax…
I don’t know about you but I can think of other things I would like to have done with that money. But without paying that tax, [url=https://www.welovecostarica.com/public/2058.cfm]my little penthouse apartment[/url] could not be sold.
As for the luxury property tax being gringo tax, that’s nonsense, we expats always like to think we are more important than we really are and, that our ‘contribution’ to the economy is bigger than it really is…
Having said that, the Hacienda confirmed to me that less than 25% of the people who should be paying the luxury property tax have actually paid the luxury property tax….
But when they need to sell, this will have to paid before the closing….
Scott
[/quote]
I’d love to know what percentage of expats are that are getting hit with the tax compared to Ticos. The second issue becomes… when do they drop the hammer and start ACTIVELY going after owners without waiting for the house to be sold?
I’m guessing Scott that the $6000 you paid was not for one year alone and included the years you should have been paying plus some interest and penalties?
Do you feel the same misinformation (being told you weren’t subject to the tax) and subsequent charges on transfer would have applied to a Tico or would there have been a little more discretion and flexibility given to a local?
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]I do however question whether…he’s lost his fire..too quick to accept… willingness to just go along…the olde boy has gone soft…joined the sheep![/quote]
I guess I’ll let waggoner41 speak for himself about all that. But once again you automatically assume that anyone who disagrees with you is suffering some type of character flaw.By the way, pointing out that electricity rates that increase with usage can’t be a plot against Gringos if it also affects Ticos doesn’t actually require one to live in Costa Rica. It just requires the ability to think logically.[/quote]
Logic is nice. Political games are another. While I fully understand the logic of higher rates for more usage thus encouraging conservation I’m sure (there was another thread recently about the huge electric bills folks at the beach were getting hit with) the new pricing structure benefits those living a low use Tico lifestyle while seriously impacting many expats. Politicians don’t like to hit those they can easily manipulate.
The great news is that the luxury tax and electric rates have become bargaining points in real estate price negotiations near the beach. Mentioning both this week opened a seller to a bit more flexibility on his price.
Luckily in the mountains my usage is low. But I can empathize with those getting slammed but the new rates.
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]
Perhaps when you do make the jump and invest and live here in COSTA RICA your OPINIONS which, for the most part, are based on what you’ve read or have discovered after an Internet Google search will carry more weight.[/quote]
Well if that’s the yardstick then I guess your opinion should always win over mine. But you live in CR only part-time and waggoner41 lives there full-time, so I guess his opinion on this trumps yours.[/quote]Perhaps you’re right Steve… and he is quite wise. I do however question whether or not he’s lost his fire. He’s become too quick to accept that there is nothing that can be done or that folks have a right to be upset or fight back. His willingness to just go along with the CAJA increases he and the misses got hit with this month (17% and 43%) and some of his other recent statements makes me think the olde boy has gone soft and joined the sheep! No insult Les… perhaps Pura Vida has just mellowed you! 🙂
Get back to work Steve… before the boss notices you on the internet! LOL
[quote=”costaricafinca”]Many of the stores & businesses that offer ‘10% off’ have higher prices to start with…[/quote]
All part on “retailing”…. getting people to believe they got a deal… hence they shop with you again! Just part of the human psyche.
Much like the art of advertising…. Getting people to buy things they don’t need with money they don’t have! 🙂
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]… remind us all why it is that YOU want leave the US?[/quote]
You need a reminder of that already!? It was a mere 2 days ago that I answered that very question on this very message board and in this very topic thread. But OK, if you truly need reminding then you can reread my answer [url=https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/cfmbb/messages.cfm?messageid=B4DC06CC-24E8-5ED2-F12BC62497856E61#B4DC06CC-24E8-5ED2-F12BC62497856E61]here.[/url][/quote]I looked for your reason Steve…
“It’s not that I want to leave the United States but that I want to live in Costa Rica.”
Not really an answer. When one makes a choice of one thing over another there is a reason…. often based on the pros to one and the cons of the other. Why not share them with us. There MUST be some cons to remaining in the US.
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]Of course Uncle Sam doesn’t want to [ban] smoking.[/quote]
But you do, apparently, and yet you are the one complaining – loudly – about encroachments on liberty. I’m curious as to how you reconcile those two sentiments?
[/quote]Wrong again Steve…. I’m simply questioning the true intentions and concerns of a government that claims to be protecting the health, safety, and welfare of it’s citizen’s by spying on them under the pretense of protecting them from some unseen evil threat. Yet at the same time is making massive profits (taxes) from a product that kills and injures more people EACH MONTH than then evil threat of terrorist EVER has!
Much like every dictatorship you need the big bad boggie man to convince the public to give up their rights and freedoms. Hugo had his people believing that the US was days away from invading Venezuela for years…. all while he dismantled the checks and balances to controlling his power as well as taking away their freedoms and ability to speak out against him.
The same game has, and is currently being played all around the world. Leaders like sheep.
In the case of the US… since the cold war is over we needed that Boogie man… so now it’s the faceless terrorist we’re told is out to get us… and the reason that we must give up our freedom and rights.
Nothing new here… same story over and over again…. just the names, faces, and twist in the story change.
Ain’t history a bitch… just keeps repeating over and over! LOL
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]Energy pricing tiered tax!
[i]All of those hit Ticos too.[/i]
Not the majority of them….[/quote]
So if Ticos are sensible enough to conserve energy but wasteful Gringos are not, this is all part of the plan to squeeze more money out of those Gringos eh? More paranoia, seems to me.[/quote]Come now Steve…. we both know that PARANOIA is the UNFOUNDED fear that people are out to get you…. unfortunately, in the cases we’re talking about, there are plenty of folks on this board that actually LIVE and OWN property here in Costa Rica that have the PERSONAL EXPERIENCE and RECIEPTS to back up their concern! Something you perhaps lack at this point. LOL
Perhaps when you do make the jump and invest and live here in COSTA RICA your OPINIONS which, for the most part, are based on what you’ve read or have discovered after an Internet Google search will carry more weight.
For now you might be best off learning something here from folks that do have personal experience living and investing in Costa Rica that have been impacted by many of the changes that have, and are taking place here. Many of which have impacted expats disproportionately. Some changes have been good, others not so good.
[quote=”sprite”]What terrorists?! The U.S. is backing Al Qaida in Syria just as in other conflicts. Al Qaida is a C.I.A. asset. It is a C.I.A. creation. It is so discouraging to see so many adults with the critical thinking capacity of 5 year olds buying into such obvious government propaganda.[/quote]
The days of battles with flags and uniforms is over. Now we engage whatever faction is available at the moment to do our dirty work. We train them, arm them, give them a target and set them loose. When we’re done with them we forget them. Friends today, foes tomorrow. The ultimate outsource temp worker…. and tomorrow they’re working for your competition!
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]Spying on 300,000,000 million Americans is NOT a reasonable excuse to track 10,000 (est) terrorist![/quote]
How many terrorists [b]would[/b] we have to track for that to be worth it? Seems to me 1 is the correct number, if that 1 truly a posed danger to innocent people.So your answer apparently to my question above then, is “Yes, it worth the additional risk to our lives to prevent the NSA from snooping”.
[quote=”Imxploring”]Uncle Sam could stop 200,000+ unnecessary deaths in the US per year on the smoking issue…[/quote]
“Uncle Sam could stop…” – OK, how exactly?So you’re concerned about the government encroaching on liberty – except for smokers right to ingest whatever they want. (Note: I am NOT a smoker and never have been). The government should step in and ban tobacco? Aren’t you the guy who was arguing just a few hours ago about how government was taking our liberties? Let’s ban fattening foods too then, and order car makers to make cars that never go more than 55mph. Think of the lives that would be saved!
[/quote]The answer was No… the cost of liberty is NOT worth the results. Have we been advised of ONE plot stopped as a result of spying on 300,000,000 Americans? Whoops… that must be another secret.
Lots of folks are addicted to cocaine and crack… perhaps Uncle Sam can partner with the Columbian cartels. Just imagine the tax income! My example shows government PROFITING at the expense and detriment of the public you think they’re protecting. In fact making a HUGE profit with CONFIRMED harm to the public.
Smoking is an addiction… one that KILLS… but yet the government you’re defending PARTNERS with the producers. In fact Uncle Sam is the majority partner… he gets the majority of the income. (Not a smoker… never have been)
A carton of smokes at the duty free is $24. In NY the same carton goes for $120… all added tax!
Of course Uncle Sam doesn’t want to ban smoking…. if he did they’d have to shut down government in a month!
