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Early storm watch: Residents of the central Pacific town of Parrita last May are rushed onto a truck to flee from flooding during Tropical Storm Alma. Meteorologists predict 14 tropical storms this coming season – June through November – that could affect Costa Rica. |
Tico Times archive |
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Honk if you've had it: Taxis strike Monday to increase pressure on the government to act on a promise to put the brakes on motorists operating as taxis outside the red taxi system. |
| Ronald Reyes | Tico Times |
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| Costa Rica taxi drivers strike again |
| When President Oscar Arias' administration promised to crack down on unlicensed taxi drivers on Feb. 5, Michael Sosa, from the National Federation of Taxi Drivers, was not convinced. “I guess we'll see you next month” were his parting words to the press. |
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| Weatherman forecasts 14 tropical storms next year |
| As many as 14 tropical storms could affect Costa Rica during the next storm season, from June through November, four more than average, the National Meteorological Institute (IMN) said Monday in a preliminary forecast. |
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| Costa Rica deficit grows to $172 million |
| Costa Rica's central government accumulated a ¢96 billion (nearly $172 million) budget deficit from February of last year to February of this year, the Finance Ministry reported. |
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| Nicaragua reeling in fresh foreign seafood buyers, says fisheries chief |
| MANAGUA – Nicaragua is casting a long line hoping to lure more foreign buyers to import its seafood, according to Nicaragua's fish industry authority. |
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Residency Renewal
and Change of Status |
If you are among the lucky ones covered by the executive decrees that, in the past, automatically renewed your residency, the time has come to go back to Immigration. All automatically renewed residencies expired in December, and must now be renewed by going through the regular renewal process. |
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| Costa Rica taxi drivers strike again |
By Meagan Robertson
Tico Times Staff | letters@ticotimes.net |
When President Oscar Arias' administration promised to crack down on unlicensed taxi drivers on Feb. 5, Michael Sosa, from the National Federation of Taxi Drivers, was not convinced. “I guess we'll see you next month” were his parting words to the press.
It seems Sosa was right.
Hundreds of taxistas (taxi drivers) struck Monday starting around noon, blocking traffic along several major streets, many remaining parked outside Casa Presidential throughout the day to put pressure on the government to act on its promise to limit the number of motorists operating as taxis outside Costa Rica's red fleet taxi system.
However, some taxis refrained from participating in the strike. “We didn't all agree to strike today,” said Germán Oviedo. “Most of us don't like the accord that was supposed to be passed anyways.”
The agreement, signed by Presidency Minister Rodrigo Arias, Transport Minister Karla González and leaders from both the porteadores (lawful car-service business) and the traditional red taxi sectors, was supposed to prohibit newly registered porteadores. The law allowed the existing porteadores to continue operating.
It also said transport authorities would take a “zero tolerance” stance on unlicensed taxis, something that according to taxi driver Juan Carlos, “hasn't been enforced at all.”
“The government will never do anything unless they see violence,” he said.
Oviedo said that most taxistas don't want the porteadores to be functioning at all, and they have arranged a meeting for licensed taxi drivers for April 1. A group of lawyers will be present to draw up a new proposal that would be presented to the Legislative Assembly.
But another strike isn't likely to be organized for that date, according to Oviedo.
“We're not going to have another strike and inconvenience the people of San José,” he said. “It's not them we're frustrated with – it's the government.” |
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| Weatherman forecasts 14 tropical storms next year |
By Alex Leff
Tico Times Staff | aleff@ticotimes.net |
As many as 14 tropical storms could affect Costa Rica during the next storm season, from June through November, four more than average, the National Meteorological Institute (IMN) said Monday in a preliminary forecast.
Of those, seven could be hurricanes, three of them “intense hurricanes,” meteorologist Eladio Solano told The Tico Times, adding that these numbers are also above average: six hurricanes, two in the “intense” category.
Solano said these storms won't necessarily come in from the Caribbean, pointing at that last May's Tropical Storm Alma, which caused serious damage, was located in the Pacific Ocean.
He said the tropical storm season starts June 1 and ends Nov. 30. |
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| Costa Rica deficit grows to $172 million |
By Vanessa I. Garnica
Tico Times Staff | vgarnica@ticotimes.net |
Costa Rica's central government accumulated a ¢96 billion (nearly $172 million) budget deficit from February of last year to February of this year, the Finance Ministry reported.
On Thursday, the ministry presented its February expense report showing a reduction in domestic earnings of 2.8 percent when compared to the same period last year. Spending, meanwhile, increased by 23.4 percent.
“Customs duties have continued to show the same negative (activity) since the end of (2008) as a result of the low domestic economic activity causing a lesser demand for imported products,” Finance Minister Guillermo Zúñiga said Thursday.
According to the Finance Ministry numbers, the rise in expenses was due to an increase in remuneration (payments) by 32.2 percent.
The government collected almost ¢154 billion ($275 million) in taxes during the month of February, which was a 19 percent reduction when compared with the February 2008 numbers.
If the fiscal situation stays on the same track it currently holds, the country will confront a serious deficit, Zúñiga said on Thursday.
Aldesa, a financial consulting firm, said in a statement Friday that the government's finances could continue to deteriorate if there are additional decreases of state income from taxes. |
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| Nicaragua reeling in fresh foreign seafood buyers, says fisheries chief |
MANAGUA – Nicaragua is casting a long line hoping to lure more foreign buyers to import its seafood, according to Nicaragua's fish industry authority.
Venezuela is already set to purchase 50 boatloads of shrimp, while China and Russia “are very interested” in buying Nicaraguan seafood as well, Stedman Fagoth, director of the Fisheries Institute (INPESCA), told radio station La Nueva Radio Ya.
Fagoth didn't give details about a price-tag for the Venezuela purchase, but said the deal comes as part of a “reciprocity and solidarity” agreement within the regional trading bloc, the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA).
Fagoth said seafood exports to the United States – traditionally about 95 percent of the total – has been sliced in half by the recession.
Exports of shrimp, lobster other shellfish and fish grossed $165.1 million last year, up from $156.6 million in 2007, according to the Nicaraguan Export Processing Center (CETREX).
The fisheries chief added that France and other European nations have begun to pick up some of the slack left by flagging U.S. buyers –not giving details as to how much – and claimed that with China and Russia coming along, in the “short term” Nicaragua will cease to depend on the North American giant to keep its seafood industry afloat. |
–EFE |
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| Residency Renewal and Change of Status |
If you are among the lucky ones covered by the executive decrees that, in the past, automatically renewed your residency, the time has come to go back to Immigration. All automatically renewed residencies expired in December, and must now be renewed by going through the regular renewal process.
In order to renew, you need to formally request an appointment at Immigration. Whether you do this through an attorney or without one can make a big difference.
To get the appointment, if you are not an attorney, you need to call (900) 123-4567. Appointments are usually scheduled approximately 10 months from the time you make the call. When the date finally arrives, you will have to wait in line for many hours, sometimes for a whole day or even two, if you are among the unlucky ones sent home because your file cannot be found. When you make the call, you should have at hand all applicable information, such as file number, residency card number and date of birth, as this will guarantee correct entering of your appointment and can save you from losing a whole day at Immigration afterwards.
On the other hand, if you are being assisted by a knowledgeable attorney who has the right to use a special appointment system instead of the 900 number, it will take approximately three months for the appointment date to be set, and the wait time will be much more manageable.
On the day of the appointment, you will need to bring a certified copy of your passport on which the date of your last entry to the country can be easily read. The original will also be required and may sometimes suffice for renewal purposes, without the certified copy; however, the copy is often requested, so the rule of thumb is to bring it anyway and avoid the hassle. This requirement is used by Immigration to confirm that you have complied with the minimum yearly stay in the country, which is essential for maintaining your residency status.
You will also need to bring your old residency card. This is not an actual regulatory requirement, but from time to time it becomes one, depending on the clerk that handles your case. So, again, the best way to proceed is to bring all the documents you might need – the more, the better.
Proof of payment for the new card will also be required at Immigration. You may be required to pay for not only the time for which you are being renewed (usually one to two years), but also the years for which you were automatically renewed in the past. The cost is $48 for a one-year renewal, plus $10 for each additional year, as well as for past years in which renewal was automatic. This payment must be made prior to your appointment at any Banco de Costa Rica branch and deposited in the account designated by Immigration.
If you do not retain an attorney to handle the process for you, on the appointment date you will need to go to Immigration and wait until you are called. Once you are, you will hand all the documents to the clerk, who will check that the requirements are complete, get you photographed and scan your fingerprints.
Your residency card will be available within a month from the appointment date, and you will have to pick it up at Immigration on or after the date shown on a document they will give you. If you want, it can also be sent via courier, at your expense, to your nearest post office in Costa Rica; you should receive your document about a week earlier this way.
Switching to ‘No Strings Attached' Residency Status
Many residents do not know that if you have been a legal temporary resident of Costa Rica for more than three years, you may be able to change your status to residente permanente libre de condición, literally translated as “permanent resident free of conditions,” but which we like to more familiarly call “no strings attached” status. To make this change, an application is required. Although this filing usually involves simple documentation, good guidance and skill are required to guarantee its success.
Once your status is changed, if you are a resident annuitant or resident pensioner, you will no longer be subject to the currency exchange requirement and to periodically renewing your bank letter. In all cases after this change, you will be able to legally work in Costa Rica for any employer. In general terms, you will have most of the rights enjoyed by Costa Rican citizens, with a few exceptions, such as the right to vote and protection from extradition, and your tax status will not change.
For more legal advice, contact Lang & Asociados at 2204-7871 or visit www.langcr.com.
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