www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Another reason that the hotel tax was replaced by the airline fee was because so many tourists were legally not paying it by staying in condos, villas and other non-hotel lodgings. This way the Ticos are essentially exempt and ALL tourists get snagged--a win-win for the Govt.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

But not a win win for gringo residents who do not stay in hotels but do travel in and out of the country by air several times a year.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Very well understood Brother Irish Drifter, but then the politicians are pandering to Tico sentiments because they are allowed to and do vote. I know your ox is being gored but this isn't any different than the nativist sentiment pollticos use elsewhere/ everywhere.

_________________
"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

Politicians, in this case, are not pandering to Ticos. The real reason for the change was that the $15.00 charge per arriving passenger would produce more revenue that the hotel tax.

As Jazz pointed out those tourists who rented apartments or condos did not pay the tax. Additionally many hotels would not report the and pay the tax from cash transactions. Counting arriving passengers and determining which airline they arrived on is a simple procedure since the immigration procedures to calculate those numbers are already in place. Simple matter for the government to send each airline a bill at the end of the month. Enforcement is also very easy if the airline does not pay you suspend their operating privileges.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Must have been in a hurry. 2

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I'd have to go with ID on this. To most ticos this really doesn't make any difference. Before hotel's were collecting the tax, but nearly all their guests were foreign tourists. Most ticos, if they stayed at any hotel when traveling around their country, stay at basic cabinas type places which probably often don't charge (or pay) the tax, particularly if it is with a tico guest. Some of the wealthier ticos may occasionally stay at a more upscale hotel but their numbers relative to foreigners is really miniscule. Now the airlines are collecting the tax and most ticos still don't have to pay because they never leave the country, particularly by air. Again, the wealthier ticos may take more international flights but then that puts them exactly in the same position as expats like ID - paying a tax on airfare that they rarely if ever had to pay before on hotels because they have homes in CR.

Actually, from that perspective, it is no more of a "win-win" for wealthy ticos who may travel outside the country as often or nearly as often as ex-pats. So it is not just expats like ID who will be "put out" by this change.

This isn't at all about sparing the people who vote. For the most part, people that vote wouldn't be paying taxes under either the hotel tax system or the airfare tax one. It was entirely about shifting to a system that captured more revenue and was less easily avoided. Estimates are this will bring in $25M vs. the $10M that was being generated under the hotel tax system.

Brothers ID and Prolijo--I concede to your points.

_________________
"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

Not to belabor the point, but to clarify one thing, no one has mentioned is that most Ticos who travel by air will not be subject to the tax. If you purchase an airline ticket in Costa Rica you pay a 5% tax on the price of the airfare. The government said that the $15.00 arrival tax would not apply in this case. While that also would apply to gringos who buy their ticket here most do not. They purchase their tickets online using a credit card tied to a U.S. address so the 5% Costa Rica purchase tax is not charged. In that case the $15.00 charge is applicable.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine