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[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]Corp Tax… Luxury home tax…CAJA Tax… Exit Tax…Automotive import tax…. Energy pricing tiered tax![/quote]
All of those hit Ticos too.[/quote]
Not the majority of them…. but that was the plan and continues to be the plan. Fees and taxes that have been put in place in the last few years have hit expats more so then the Ticos.
The electric issue will be a killer… as many folks at the beach are seeing. It’s really bad Steve…
There was a report on the radio here today that rainfall declines this year will result in yet another electricity increase.
[quote=”sweikert925″]Which taxes “mostly apply to foreigners”?[/quote]
Corp Tax… Luxury home tax…CAJA Tax… Exit Tax…Automotive import tax…. Energy pricing tiered tax! Those are a few of the “taxes” that hit expats more so than Ticos. While some might not be considered “taxes” they’re designed to extracted a government fee that will most likely not impact Ticos… but will hit expats for sure.
Then there’s the Gringo price tax that you’ll pay locally to anyone that thinks they might be able to impose their own personal “tax” on you! LOL
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]what did we get in the “bargain” for the NSA spying on us?[/quote]
I should think that was perfectly obvious. Or are you not aware that there are very bad people who are out to harm Americans and who can be possibly be hunted down using the tactics the NSA is employing. 911? Doesn’t ring a bell? No? It was in all the papers.Let me pose a question. If this NSA program was NOT in place and an attack had been launched which COULD have been intercepted before it occurred, would you shrug and say, “Oh well, it was worth that price not to have my phone number and what calls it made stored somewhere for the government to sift through”. Yes or no only please.
[quote=”Imxploring”]As with most history it’s often up to the individual to determine the meaning[/quote]
I don’t see too much leeway in how the words “essential” and “temporary” can be interpreted. Perhaps you can offer some alternative interpretations because they seem pretty clear to me.[/quote]
Spying on 300,000,000 million Americans is NOT a reasonable excuse to track 10,000 (est) terrorist!
Sorry Steve… once again… Uncle Sam could stop 200,000+ unnecessary deaths in the US per year on the smoking issue… but chooses not to…. why? Oh… I forgot…. because the government takes in HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of dollars on cigarette taxes!
So the whole NSA issue is to protect us from terrorism… but the US government has no problem with COUNTLESS CONFIRMED deaths, illness, and disabilities each year…. as long as it generates a cash flow in tax revenues!
So with such great advantages in the bargain…. why did it take a whistle blower to let the public know what was taken from them?
Seems some of our allies…. those are the good guys on our side not looking to do us harm…. were quite upset with Uncle Sam snooping on them…. wonder why? Perhaps they feel as I do… but who knows!
[quote=”placitasjohn1″]I will be starting two businesses when I finally get to CR. Do I need residency or in process, to operate my own business? I would be purchasing materials from and providing jobs for Ticos in both ventures.
Thanks
P.S. It seems 90% of the comments here are way off subject[/quote]You will not need either to start a business. Just remember you can’t “work” in the business. And be sure to comply with the rules for whatever status (ie. Tourist) you are in CR under… if not you can count on a competitor or someone upset with you on turning you into immigration.
Best of luck. There are some great article on Scott’s site about folks starting businesses here in CR.
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]Liberty is more often taken from the people in little bites.[/quote]
In a republic founded on democratic government, liberty isn’t taken from people – it’s bargained away. Every change in government policy that you interpret as a taking of liberty was done as a result of meeting some other goal that people accepted as being worthwhile. You may think a particular bargain is bad, but as I keep pointing out, it is not just your opinion that counts. We all have an opinion and the amalgamation of all those opinions results in whatever bargain is struck.We submit to being searched before boarding an airplane as the cost of not being shot or blown up on that plane. Companies have to comply with environmental laws so that we, the public, can avoid being poisoned by polluted air and water. Money transfer restrictions are in place so that tax cheats (you know how I feel about them) and proprietors of illegal enterprises are dealt with.
Quite a few of the people like you who complain about encroachments of liberty have no problem when it is OTHER people’s liberty that is at issue. So righties think the state is perfectly OK deciding what a woman should do with her ovaries or who should be allowed to marry whom. They have no problem with stop and frisk laws that target people who don’t have the same skin complexion that they do.
And that quote that usually gets trotted out from good old Ben Franklin (which sprite was quick to cite) –
“[i]Those who would give up [b]essential[/b] Liberty, to purchase a little [b]temporary[/b] Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety[/i]”
is woefully misinterpreted. The words “essential” and “temporary” are there for a purpose and that purpose is not decoration. Try switching those 2 words around in that quote above and maybe the light bulb will switch on.
[url=http://www.lawfareblog.com/2011/07/what-ben-franklin-really-said/#.UuD6I7TnbDA]What Ben Franklin Really Said[/url]
[/quote]So tell us Steve…. what did we get in the “bargain” for the NSA spying on us? Seems when people “bargain” both parties need to understand and be aware of what they are giving up in exchange the the benefit they are receiving. Dare I say it took Snowden to make the American people aware of what had been secretly taken from them. And keep in mind as a low level contract employee (Snowden) I’m quite sure we don’t have the full story as to the extent to which the “bargain” has been executed behind our backs.
BTW…. Your source on Franklin’s quote is but one man’s interpretation of what HE thinks Franklin meant based on the historical references he choses to apply to his theory. As with most history it’s often up to the individual to determine the meaning….just as the Supreme court interprets and applies the meaning of the Constitution today.
Just about any quote, much like a poem or work of art, is subject to interpretation…. look at the multiple interpretations applied to the Mona Lisa.
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]The issue with the VISA cards is that it controls and limits your ability to take your wealth with you outside the control and oversight of the US government… the same with silver and gold.[/quote]
How much of the wealth of US citizens is stored in the form of Visa prepaid debit cards and gold? .00000000001% maybe? Oh, I know. This is another one of those “tip of the iceberg” things I guess.The problem with both of you is that you look at current events and see only the certainty of ever increasing doom and conclude that this is unstoppable. In which case, I have to ask, what possible purpose does it serve to post these dire warnings on this message board? (Do either of you ever consider the possibility that you may be wrong? And since you will no doubt ask the same of me, yes, I could be wrong).
History is definitely something to keep in mind but not just the parts of history where bad things happened. It is a historical fact that the Mongols swept across Central Asia. It COULD happen again! Germany declared war against France. 3 times!! It COULD happen again!
SENSIBLE people know that while there are an infinite number of possible risks out there it does absolutely no good to keep running around warning about this or that one – especially on such flimsy evidence like what you 2 are presenting. And neither of you ever consider all of the possibilities that are equally likely and which are NOT dire threats to humankind. History is not a physical force like gravity or momentum. It is comprised of quadrillions of individual decisions by billions of people every second of every day. I may have a tuna sandwich for lunch today instead of ham – thus altering the course of human history.
I suppose that tin foil hat remark was rude, and for that I apologize. It may be that an inordinate fear of government may be someday diagnosed as a mental impairment – maybe we can call it Obamaphobia. So I suppose I should be kinder to those of you afflicted with it. But man, it really does take a lot of patience to put up with this constant drumbeat of impending doom that we keep reading here.
[quote=”Imxploring”]do you truly believe that our very own government isn’t just a tad over zealous in it’s “caring” and “protecting” it’s citizens?[/quote]
No.It is very illustrative to how hard it is to set policy when, as in this instance, President Obama is being simultaneously criticized on the right for both being too lax and too overzealous in protecting us from harm.
[/quote]Liberty is more often taken from the people in little bites… best they don’t notice until it’s too late… if done all at once at the business end of a gun people have the chance to fight back!
[quote=”sweikert925″]I suppose I could waste my time pointing you to websites that show statistics for death rates by disease but they would all be compiled by various government bodies (because who else would know that?) and you’d just proclaim “AHA! More Government lies!”[/quote]
Barry and the boys will be sad to see you leave Steve… remind us all why it is that YOU want leave the US?
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]… check out those VISA prepaid cards at your local drug store…[/quote]
What the banks that issue Visa cards restrict is completely up to them. And how precisely would the teeny tiny amounts stored on Visa prepaid cards in any way help the US government’s financial situation? Besides, not all Visa debit cards have that restriction.[quote=”Imxploring”]…the Folks trying to escape Hitler were stopped from bringing their wealth with them…[/quote]
The “Folks trying to escape Hitler” eventually wound up being shoved into gas chambers so I assume you think that’s next eh? So your reasoning is that whatever happened in Nazi Germany is inevitably destined to happen in the United States. Is there possibly a flaw in that logic? Just maybe?When you and sprite have your little meetings do you wear those adorable tin foil hats that keep out the government’s surveillance rays?[/quote]
The issue with the VISA cards is that it controls and limits your ability to take your wealth with you outside the control and oversight of the US government… the same with silver and gold. Don’t think we’re headed for ovens… but then again…there’s updated technology available today! LOL
Come now Steve…. do you truly believe that our very own government isn’t just a tad over zealous in it’s “caring” and “protecting” it’s citizens? Didn’t your boy Barry just have to get up in front of the public and annouce he was rolling back the spying the US government was doing on it’s own citizens in response to the discovery of the extent they were “protecting” us?
Did YOU even know about that when you were dropping those monthly payments from your paycheck to fund his reelection or was that your employer pushing the issue since insurance companies (your industry) would benefit from Obamacare?
Remember Steve…. up until a year ago folks that were claiming that Uncle Sam was spying on his citizens were told to get fitted for tin caps…. after Ed Snowden spoke up… they all became visionaries!
Ignorance is bliss…. so keep smiling my friend keep smiling! 🙂
A little quote from Ben Franklin…..
“They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
Words to think about when pondering the extent which the US has gone in “protecting” the citizenry!
“And I suspect that sooner or later, the U.S. government, if allowed to, will begin even harsher restrictions on US citizens leaving the country with any wealth.”
That’s already started… slowly and quite quietly… check out those VISA prepaid cards at your local drug store… the ones you could buy for cash in just about any amount and use anywhere in the world…. guess what folks…. not any more…. only to be used in the US.
They’ve already started limiting or restricting your ability to “take it with you”… check into the rules on transporting silver or gold that YOU OWN AND HAVE A RECEIPT for… it’s getting crazy! But they’ll tell you it’s all in the interest of Anti-terrorism! BULL!
Let’s not even get into the banking rules the IRS is forcing on the rest of the world to track and limit folks (Americans) ability to move their money offshore! It’s been well covered by some of the articles on this site!
History is a funny thing… it plays over and over… the Folks trying to escape Hitler were stopped from bringing their wealth with them… if they were luck enough to escape with their lives they left with the clothes on their backs in many cases… make your conclusions!
[quote=”costaricafinca”]Flights are usually more expensive going to Liberia, due to the landing fees. Also less airlines fly into there.[/quote]
Shopping around (checking Kayak and Expedia everyday when a trip is planned) you’ll find flights are often very close in price from the US between SJO and LIR…. I’ve gotten bargains going to both. Big diffence I’ve noticed…. flight into SJO are 90% Ticos…. flights into LIR… 90% gringo… perhaps part of the price difference. LIR seems to attract more true tourist (beaches) while SJO is more of the hub for CR citizens traveling. Dynamic pricing based on demand… just shop each day and you’ll get a good price!
I agree that some of the “low cost” airlines nickle and dime you to death… not a bargain at all!
[quote=”lyncota”]I feel fortunate to live within driving distance to 3 major airports in the Northeast, so we always are able to pick and choose our flights to Costa Rica.
COPA and TACA are both great. I would stay away from Spirit. Beware of hidden fees! They charge for carry on.
[/quote]I use to use TACA exclusively… since the Avianca merger they have gone downhill… besides the major changes to the flight schedual and routing! 🙁
[quote=”cfoutz”][quote=”costaricafinca”]Suggest you read the info [url=http://www.costaricalaw.com/Immigration-and-Residency/residency-general-information-and-summary.html]here [/url]and more so, details regarding working in Costa Rica.[/quote]
This is exactly why I’m not there yet. Everyone tells me why I CANT be there and no one tells how you CAN get there. Seems again no one wants to do the hard things only the easy things. There has to be a way.[/quote]
There’s always a way if you don’t mind running afoul of the law or doing something dishonorable…but I don’t think that’s what you want to do…. nor is it the type of advice you need or should listen to or will get from the folks on this board. Such a path can cause uneeded stress and complications in your future.
If the above isn’t an issue take a few trips to CR… meet up with some of the younger expats you’ll come across in some of the beach areas and pick their brains on how they’re “doing it”…. warning… having seen many come and go… what might seem like a good idea rarely will last very long.
If all else fail… impregnate a Costa Rican and then start missing your support payments…. they’ll never let you leave the country!!! (Only joking…. NOT a good idea!)
[quote=”waggoner41″][quote=”cfoutz”]I have been wanting to move to Costa Rica since the ’90s and still have not made it. All I hear about is retiring. I am not ready to retire and still need to make a living but information on this is sparse. I visited last year and really like the Grecia and Atenas areas. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make it work?[/quote]
If you can work on-line you can make it work but working here requires that you have a skill that is in demand and can not be filled by a Tico or have a viable business that you can manage but you can not do the labor..[/quote]
You’ll also need a residency status that allows you to stay in Costa Rica while you give it a go. Unless you have a very special skill it’s unlikely you will find a “job” that will allow you to “work” or compete in the CR job market. A business would be a better option…. but be realistic in your expectations of sucess. Small businesses fail all the time. Starting one in a foreign country will make it even more of a challenge. Good Luck on making your dream a reality!
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]I will not apply for residency and the perceived benefits when forced to pay (what I consider) an excessively high price for CR provided healthcare insurance.[/quote]
I suppose this means that you will adopt the same strategy as pixframe and simply stay in CR on a tourist visa and leave once every 90 days. Which is fine, I’m not sure that’s 100% legal but the Costa Rican government seems to tolerate that so it is de facto legal, even if not de jure. Kinda like jaywalking – it may be illegal but everyone does it, so in effect it’s not a crime.OK, but then to continue my Lexus analogy you’ve decided that you won’t pay the $58,000 and aren’t wiling to accept the other reasonable alternatives – buy a used one or (eek!) buy a Mazda instead. So you’ve decided to show up on the car lot every day and take the Lexus out for a “test drive” (wink, wink). Every day. The car dealer, easygoing fellow that he is, allows this. And that’s not “gaming the system? Hmm. We seem to have a difference of opinion on the meaning of the term.
But if all that’s the case why ever have you spent so much time and effort complaining about a tax you will never pay?
[quote=”Imxploring”]Wait until you relocate and you learn the term “Gringo Pricing”….if the cost is too high for what you will receive in return…. you shop elsewhere or don’t buy the product.[/quote]
You don’t see any connection between those statements?You know, it just doesn’t bother me that much if it turns out that I may have paid more for something than soemone else did. Don’t get me wrong, I like a bargain as much as the next guy. But as your second statement rightly says, if the price is acceptable for something then you buy the product. If not, you don’t. It doesn’t matter if someone else paid or will pay a different price. Every day people pay different prices for the same product that someone else purchased. Airline fares? A book on Amazon that was $12.95 when you bought it and $11.66 today? A suit you bought today that may be on sale tomorrow? As a good little capitalist you should applaud when market forces come into play. There is never a “correct” price for anything. Supply and demand.
You never negotiated the purchase price of a new car?
I would be very interested to hear what kind of inmsurance premiums you are offered by those insurers I directed you to. Not that I think I would ever be in a posuition to pay them, but just for curiosity.[/quote]
As I won’t be forced (blessed) to have to place all my eggs in one basket and relocate to CR thus giving up my US residence the PT issue won’t impact me. I won’t have to do the quick jump out of the country every 90 days. I can travel freely complying with the rules and stay durations. No gaming the system or expecting a service for which I’m not paying for. Your daily “test drive” analogy doesn’t really apply in my situation.
For those folks that must completely pull up roots in the US and completely commit to relocating to CR it is a different story. And part of the reason for this entire discussion. While I had originally intended to apply for residency the new rules really make that unreasonable based on the cost of mandatory CAJA enrollment. I have checked a few international and travel insurers and have found two reasonable alternatives that will provided coverage at a much lower cost in my particular situation. Both based on age and risk factors… not income. Funny when you price the plans and exclude US healthcare coverage in these plans the cost goes down significantly! In my situation with paid healthcare in the US it works out very well with a reasonable deductible, about 40% of what CAJA would cost… and this is for coverage at a private hospital rather than in the CR State run clinic/CAJA system. Without starting a dispute over the quality of care in the CR government system I will simply say that the private system is better in MY opinion.
The point is for many folks considering the move to CR this CAJA cost issue is very important, hence this exchange was worthwhile. They will be facing a payment that may represent a good portion of their income and possible large future increases as some have indicated. It’s a factor that must be considered when thinking of moving to CR.
The idea that the government of CR is now engaging in Gringo Pricing is rather sad… and as I said before, just the most recent blunder in attracting investment and baby boomers. Unlike a car dealer or restaurant that might try it where you have the ability to walk out there will be plenty of folks that will not have that ability in this situation.
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]…expats that are now forced into CAJA contributions as a condition of applying for residency.[/quote]
I guess I need to remind you that residing in a Rica is a privilege, not a right. I suppose you can look at it as being [b]forced[/b] into paying CAJA but in that case so, too, are you being [b]forced[/b] to fork over $58,000 to own a Lexus. CAJA assessments are simply the price you pay. But like most commodity purchases you have choices – you can pick one of the other countries that offer residency to expats. Or, you just stay in the US. You seem to consider residing in Costa Rica as some sort of, oh, I don’t know, “entitlement”.
[quote=”Imxploring”]
..an international heathcare policy might be rather costly[/quote]
To say the least!
[quote=”Imxploring”] I wonder if anyone can provide information on what a private healthcare policy might cost in CR. [/quote]
I’ve already done that (scroll up) but you can get quotes for yourself [url=https://www.cignaglobal.com/]here[/url] and [url=http://www.healthcareinternational.com/fastquote-international-medical-insurance.php/]here[/url].
[quote=”Imxploring”]
I think I’d rather follow Scott’s advice and NOT disclose my income to any government official… [/quote]
Thereby “gaming the system” which you object to strongly – when others do it.[/quote]
Not at all Steve…. I, at this point based on the rules, choose not to play the game. I will not apply for residency and the perceived benefits when forced to pay (what I consider) an excessively high price for CR provided healthcare insurance. As with buying any product, if the cost is too high for what you will receive in return…. you shop elsewhere or don’t buy the product. Just like your Lexus example… none of us are forced to buy a PRODUCT if we feel the price is not worth the value received…. unfortunately the folks in CR don’t see it that way and will be forcing those that preceive residency as important to buy what I feel is an inferior product at an unreasonable price. That’s my opinion based on the cost I would pay and for the product received and the quality of the product provided. When I said I had no intention of disclosing my income to government officials it was not with the intention of getting something for nothing, it was with the intention of not applying or disclosing my information for several reasons as I’m sure Scott was implying… not just because of the CAJA issue.
I have been fortunate to call CR my part-time home for eight years and enjoy my stays very much, and will continue to do so following the rules. I have always complied with the rules and will continue to do so. I have no expectations of being entitled to anything, nor do I believe that CR owes me anything and I’m not looking to game the system…. I’m just not looking to be gamed by yet another government desperately trying to keep promises they made to some by milking others….
Wait until you relocate and you learn the term “Gringo Pricing” and see it in action! Having somewhat of an idea as to your personality you’re going to LOVE it…. perhaps then you’ll understand my point! LOL
P.S. Thanks for the insurance links… I’m interested in a CR based company/plan that would provide healthcare coverage via the private hospitals in CR. I’ll see if I can get some info next week from our local insurance fellow in CR.
