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Straight up answer is if the S.A. is only being used to hold property title your attorney is ripping you off… plain and simple. As with the answer above it’s an easy 5 minute transaction at the bank to pay them (I pay at BCR… don’t even have an account with them.. but my bank BN always seems to have connection problems with the National Registry).
Get in there and see what you owe. If the S.A. is incorrectly listed as “active” you may need an attorney to fix that…. FIND A NEW ONE…. not the guy you’re using now it fix that. No need to keep lining his pockets.
In the future just have someone you know and trust pay your tax each January.
Or perhaps your Internet service includes a base data usage and you have exceeded it in some months and are paying an additional charge based on a per Kbyte basis.
I’m a frequent visitor to Sarchi and had most of my furniture custom built there for my home in Arenal. You will find some fantastic designs and woods there. And remember most places will make your furniture to order if you need a special size or have your own design ideas. Simple drawings and measurements are all you need. Or take pictures of other ideas you have and give them to the shop or email them. Just check with them on shipping… The cost gets a bit high on larger items and might not make sense. The only other issue is climate. As much of the wood used in CR is not heat dried the issue of changing the environment by having it shipped to a different climate may result in some unpleasant results.
Just wait until they (CAJA) start requesting tax returns to see your total income when determining your payment…. Not just what you “declare” with your residency application…. Then the real panic starts.
This new president and his 19% budget increase should be a good indication of where things are going. And it’s not pretty!
Being a tourist these days really has its advantages!
[quote=”costaricafinca”]I previously responded to your other post. Not included on the fees you mentioned on this post, is the $350 you pay for transportation out of the country if CR deems you ‘non-desirable’. While this is[i] supposedly[/i] refundable to you if you decide that Costa Rica is not where you want to live, it could take a long time for you to receive the funds. It [i]may[/i] not include the cost of your initial [i]cedula[/i] $132, so you should question this.
In regards to the lowest, required pension of $1000 per month, realize that this is[u] not[/u] enough to live on.
ARCR fees are [i]very[/i] similar to what others charge. Don’t forget, you will be required to leave CR to renew your tourist visa until you have the necessary paperwork to say that ‘your application is under consideration'[/quote]
And don’t forget that monthly chunk that CAJA will be taking out of your monthly income and/or nestegg for the pleasure of committing to a residency status.
I agree…. anything less than $2000/mo of income is going to provide you with a very simple and dare I say difficult experience in CR. I’m sure there are folks that will disagree… but many of those them own their own place and have adapted to a Tico lifestyle that may not be your cup of tea!
Come now…. I think everyone is overreacting! The Chinese are staunch environmentalists that have always shown an overwhelming concern for not only the environment but also human rights! Why else in the world would the former president and Noble prize winner Don Oscar establish relations with them! He’s smarter then the rest of us…. and I’m guessing a lot wealthier as well thanks to that move…. seems he might have even shared some of the take with his brother who has dropped off the radar.
Danny and the crew up north sold out the folks of Nicaragua… he could care less about the environment, land rights, or human rights…. it’s all about money and how much he got! But then again the fools in Nicaragua did “elect” their president for life…. and no doubt it will become a dynasty when Danny and his lady pass into the sunset.
Another interesting article today on InsideCostaRica.com! I’ll take advantage of copy and paste to post the entire article to let the readers of this forum form their own opinion. Reading it I seem to think that there are real questions as to whether or not folks are getting their monies worth out of the current taxes collected… in this case the tax revenues related to roads and their improvement and repair!
>>>>>>>>October 29th, 2014 (InsideCostaRica.com) Engineers with the National Laboratory of Materials and Structural Models (LANAMME), led by engineer Juan Diego Porras, as well as Luis Guillermo Loria of the National Transportation Infrastructure Program (PITRA) are warning that Costa Rica’s road infrastructure will continue to significantly deteriorate in the coming years unless changes are made in the way the country’s road network is maintained and managed.
Loria said that the problem is not a lack of economic resources, but rather the need for “long-term strategic management that is independent of the political cycle,” noting that most work and infrastructure planning is currently short-sighted, only taking into consideration a time span of four years, coinciding with the country’s political and election cycle.
Loria said the country’s roads would continue to worsen if important decisions are not made immediately, adding that the types and scope of current projects will not substantially improve the state of the road network.
The researchers said their warning is based on a probabilistic mathematical model dubbed “IRI” that allows them a degree of confidence in predicting future conditions of the country’s roadways.
Worst roads in Central America
Costa Rica has the highest fuel prices in Central America but has the worst roads, despite the fact that nearly one-third of the cost of fuel in the country is supposed to be used for road repairs and maintenance, according to a report issued by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) earlier this year.
Costa Rica scored last place in Central America in its Ranking of Availability and Quality of Transport Infrastructure, this despite a heavy 30% tax placed on fuel which is supposed to support repairs and upkeep to the country’s roadways by the National Roads Authority (CONAVI).<<<<<<<<
No pretend statistics…. just the position of someone directly involved in the allocation of tax revenues and the servicing of the country’s roads! Seems he’s not happy with the manner in which money is being spent while stating revenues are NOT the issue…. it’s politicians!
Perhaps now you might understand the resistance to simply rolling over and throwing more money into the black hole politicians create to “correct” problems they themselves control!
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]Even a better bumper sticker….[/quote]
As usual, you run out of rational argument and resort to personal insults. You are nothing if not predictable.Seems to me you also occasionally link to external sources of information but then you, I guess, are allowed to do that and I, apparently, am not.[/quote]
The BIG difference is that I may post a link to a COMPLETE source or article (as I did in this thread) for people to read and draw their own conclusions. You on the other hand like to copy and paste statistics (without review or expanded explanation) to make your point and then call people complainers when they call you out on your “facts”! This issue is the perfect example… you call those that object to increased taxes in CR complainers sighting your “statistics” that CR is a low tax country by your copy and paste research… yet you completely ignore (nor do you have first hand experience) of the value or quality of the services we are receiving for the payment of those taxes!
Should you consider my calling you out on this FACT a personal insult… I’ll accept that…. as George Bush said (not really)…. “Misson Accomplished”!
[quote=”bogino”]”[i]Great Place to Visit. Wouldn’t Want to Live There[/i]”…..
Is [b]that[/b] where CR is headed?[/quote]
They don’t want North American economic refugees… they want well to do tourist. The former cost them money (they’re making moves to reverse that with new taxes and CAJA requirements)… the later spends on average a lot more during a vacation or visit.
That fact is obvious… just look at the total lack of ANY government effort/incentives to attract retirees… yet they spends tons of money on attracting tourist.
It is private entities and individuals with a vested financial interest (The R.E. industry in CR for example) that now promote CR as a retirement destination… NOT the government…. that ended a long time ago when they saw the writing on the wall and didn’t want a flood of folks from the North that moved South because they couldn’t afford to live on SS or a small pension back in the US.
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]And didn’t we come to conclusion that the “facts” were far from useful in making a comparison or the point you were trying to make by presenting them?[/quote]
No, “we” didn’t. [b]You [/b]do that whenever you come across a fact you don’t like and can’t argue with.
“Facts are far from useful” only to the unreasonable. Say, you should have that made up into a bumper sticker. It’s very catchy.[/quote]
Even a better bumper sticker….How about “Copy and Paste statistics can say whatever I want them to”
Or how about…. “Don’t sweat the details…. I have numbers”
Or maybe…”Who cares about the truth… thanks to Google and copy and paste I can create my own truth!”
Yet another one…. “I may not know what I’m talking about, but thanks to right click, copy and paste, I sound like the smartest guy in the room!”
And finally… “Thanks to the internet I’m an expert on whatever I can copy and paste… resistance is futile!”
OK… OK…. One more… “Knowledge is a dangerous thing…. that’s why I store mind on the internet”
I could go on and on…. but I think I’ve given the voices in your head enough to juggle for the evening! LMAO
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]There’s an interesting article in AMCOSTARICA this morning about some rather large increases in property taxes here in CR…. can’t wait to see where mine are headed in January. [/quote]
As the article made [b]quite[/b] clear (but which you conveniently forgot to mention in your comment), the increases are due to better information on the true value of the property. I’m sure your not linking to the actual AM Costa Rica article was just an oversight and not a deliberate attempt to misstate what the facts are so I will rectify that by [url=http://www.amcostarica.com/]linking to it myself.[/url]What the CR government effort means is that some have vastly underpaid their taxes and now that will cease to be the case. I call that a step in the right direction toward fairness and a much better approach than raising taxes on those who are already paying what they really owe.
Costa Rica is not a high tax country. Neither is the US. Based on [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_tax_revenue_as_percentage_of_GDP#cite_note-1]figures compiled for 2012 by the Heritage Foundation[/url] (a right wing source, so you righties should have no cause to complain about bias). Costa Rica collects 21.0% of it’s GDP in taxes. That puts them just below the average of 22.0% worldwide. Costa Rica is tied with Chile and Uzbekistan for 84th highest taxed (out of 176) on the list, and the US is tied with South Africa for 60th. The US is higher than average – 26.9% – but lower than any other developed country except South Korea and Australia, and MUCH lower than most. (And yes, that US figure includes taxes at all levels, not just at the national level.)
Of course, my posting facts and using logic and reason won’t matter to some of you. To them, any tax rate higher than 0.0% is cause for grumbling, bitching and whining. They enjoy a good tax rant the same way I enjoy listening to music by Bach, eating lasagna or making mosaic artwork. Some simply seem to get pleasure in doing that. Everyone needs a hobby, I guess.
[/quote]I’m surprised you didn’t use your previous “source”…. wasn’t it the CIA “fact” book? And didn’t we come to conclusion that the “facts” we’re far from useful in making a comparison or the point you were trying to make by presenting them?
You’ve made it a point of comparing tax rates…. but NOT the services offered for those payments? Wouldn’t any comparison have to include the services and quality of such services to have any meaning or value?
Once again… internet google knowledge which on it’s face (copy and paste research doesn’t really cut it) looks impressive is nothing without true quantitative analysis of the data. Pure tax rates mean nothing if the value derived from them by the payer is not evaluated. The information you’ve brought to the table is really not relative in making your point as to whether or not folks in CR feel they are getting their monies worth for the taxes they’re being asked to pay.
As to the point of people being nothing more than complainers… the real estate taxes I pay on my homes in NY are reasonable. The value I derive I feel is reasonable for the cost. Should my taxes in CR go up 10 fold…. I would find that quite unreasonable. Subjective perhaps but my opinion… others might feel (based once again on raw tax rates) that what I pay in NY are quite unreasonable… until they saw the value of the services provided.
[quote=”johnnyh”]All governments seem to be scrambling to see how much money they can wring out of their citizens. They are doing all the wrong things that did not work in the past, and won’t work in the present. As someone else pointed out, instead of cutting back on government, they are making the mistake of enlarging it in the hope of creating jobs. Government jobs. I have given up on my government here in the United States and it won’t be any different in Costa Rica. But for the time being, the Dollar seems to go a little bit further in Costa Rica.[/quote]
There’s an interesting article in AMCOSTARICA this morning about some rather large increases in property taxes here in CR…. can’t wait to see where mine are headed in January. Yet another nail in the coffin! The real estate industry must be loving this!
They really are making other places on this orb look good!
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]perhaps there’s that little voice telling him something is wrong in the US and it’s headed for a reckoning….[/quote]
Wow, is there no end to your arrogance? Now you’re an expert on what little voices I hear in my head. If you think the US of A is on the verge of some collapse why do you still live there?[/quote]
So there you have it…. finally… you admit it…there are a number of little voice that you hear in that head of yours! Kidding Steve…. I never pretended to be an expert on what voices you were hearing…. just that they were there! LOL
Sorry Buddy… couldn’t let that one go by! I owe you a beer!
[quote=”sweikert925″]Am I the only one struck by the contradiction in constant negative comments about Costa Rica posted by some on a message board called…..WeLoveCostaRica.com?[/quote]
Why not take a vote and see how many folks think things are getting better in CR…. and while you’re at it add a “The US is headed in the right direction” poll….might be quite surprising.
When discussing any issue…. There’s always going to be the good and the bad!
[quote=”davidd”]we love puerto rico .com is tongue in cheek 🙂
I find it so funny.. that finally someone is waking up to the fact that taxation and over government regulation is not the answer..
and its still semi part of the U.S. Puerto Rico.
http://www.internationalman.com/tax-free-zone-video
pretty amazing actually.. and costa rica should wake up.
costa rica is obviously headed towards replicating the mother ship and its draconian laws.. to the point that attracts people like sweikert to actually consider relocating here..
If your on a fixed income .. this is not the place to be relocating to.
with U.S. corporatism overwhelming this little country.. (subway has 62 locations here..) and the incompetents in government..trying to come up with ways to tax
this country will not be the place to be.. sorry to say..
would love to hear Scotts thoughts on this.. and people that actually have some REAL world experience instead of .. well you all know who :roll::roll::roll::roll:
[/quote]
Things are getting worse in CR…. like much of the rest of the world. The new “management” seems to have taken up where the last left off…. more taxes rather than cutting cost and encouraging investment. While I still love my escape pod in CR… the idea of using it for anything other than a vacation retreat is not an option now. The mandatory CAJA costs… and other new “ideas” the government have come up with will keep me from placing myself on the radar and applying for residency. I’m happy to play tourist during my stays… and comply with the stay requirements…tourists seem to get better treatment and receive more concern at this point anyway. I’m blessed to be able to maintain homes in a few nice places. For those unable to do so the idea of placing all your eggs in CR’s basket is a scary prospect. I love the place and the people. The way they are treating expats and future ones has me very turned off.
As to PR…. A lot of hype but if you look deeper there are major issues with the moves they’re making to attract investment and people. The likelihood that the “incentives” will be watered down or eliminated outweighs the effort.
He’s another view on PR.
