The Tico Times Online Daily Page

Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, December 10, 2003

SUMMER AT LAST: A scarlet macaw basks in the sun at Amigos de las Aves, an aviary northwest of San José.
TT/Jeffrey Arguedas

Government Unveils Plan To
Make Starting a Business Easier
Gilberto Barrantes, Minister of Economy, Industry and Commerce, yesterday unveiled a new plan to make it easier to start a business in Costa Rica.
(Click for more)

RECOPE Plans to Build
$80-Million Oil Pipeline
The Costa Rican Petroleum Refinery (RECOPE) on Monday initiated a public bidding process to hire a firm to build a 127-kilometer gasoline pipeline between the Atlantic port city of Limón and La Garita de Alajuela on the western outskirts of the Central Valley. The project is expected to cost between $80 million and $90 million and should be finished by late 2005 or early 2006.
(Click for more)

December 10

Human Rights Discussion
A discussion about the women murdered in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, followed by the video "Señorita Extraviada," and a discussion on issues related to battered women. Begins at 6 p.m. at the Spanish Cultural Center, Ca. 13, Av. 31 in San José. Info: 233-5850, Ext. 11.

Jazz Concert
Jazz Trio OM and pianist Walter Flores in concert at the Jazz Café in San Pedro, begins at 10 p.m. Info: 253-8933.

Urgent Notice from Unity
The interdenominational church announces that its guest presenter for this weekend on the Course In Miracles, David Hoffmiester, will not be able to travel to Costa Rica. However, normal service will be held at 10 a.m., followed by lunch. Info: 203-4411

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Government Unveils Plan To
Make Starting a Business Easier
By Fabián Borges
fborges@ticotimes.net

Gilberto Barrantes, Minister of Economy, Industry and Commerce, yesterday unveiled a new plan to make it easier to start a business in Costa Rica.

Government officials hope to convince the owners of small, informal businesses to formally register with the government for the project.

"The project aims to create a universal information system that will make it possible to carry out all the procedures necessary to create a business in just one place," Barrantes explained. "Using a computer network, the information saved at one institution can be safely transferred to the others."

Currently, those looking to register a new business must visit five different institutions -- the National Insurance Institute (INS) for risk insurance, Social Security System (Caja) to sign up as an employer, the Direct Taxation Office to sign up as a tax contributor, the Health Ministry to apply for an operating permit, and the local Municipality for land use and commercial permits, he said.

In 1998, small and medium businesses employed 546,000 Costa Ricans -- about 42% of the country's total workforce and 54% of its non-agricultural workforce. Three-quarters of these businesses are not formally registered with public institutions. Approximately 65% of those who work for small and medium businesses are informally employed, according to government estimates.

Not being legally registered deprives these companies of access to credit and government-funded employee training programs, which reduces their chances of survival in an increasingly competitive marketplace, Barrantes said.

Employees in the informal sector often lack basic benefits and mandatory insurance policies. Informality also hurts the government, as these businesses generally don't pay taxes, Barrantes pointed out.

During the program's first phase, special software designed by Costa Rican software firm Tecapro will be installed at all the public institutions that new business owners must visit to obtain operating permits. In the second phase, one office in charge of handling all the procedures necessary to start a new business will be created at each of the country's 81 municipalities.

Barrantes hopes the new program will reduce the time it takes to start a new business by almost a month, from 99 to 69 days. He expects the reduction in procedures to serve as an incentive for new businesses to formally register with the government.

The program will be funded in part by the Inter-America Development Bank.

"The focal point of the Economy, Commerce and Industry Ministry during President Abel Pacheco's Administration has been to strengthen small and medium businesses," Barrantes explained.

"Costa Rica has opted in favor of globalization and trade. In this context, it is essential that we take the necessary steps to make small businesses survive and thrive. Helping them become formal is an essential step toward this goal," he added.

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RECOPE Plans to Build
$80-Million Oil Pipeline
By Fabián Borges
fborges@ticotimes.net

The Costa Rican Petroleum Refinery (RECOPE) on Monday initiated a public bidding process to hire a firm to build a 127-kilometer gasoline pipeline between the Atlantic port city of Limón and La Garita de Alajuela on the western outskirts of the Central Valley. The project is expected to cost between $80 million and $90 million and should be finished by late 2005 or early 2006.

"Hydrocarbons constitute approximately 70% of Costa Rican energy imports. We are highly dependent on petroleum. This forces us to constantly improve our infrastructure," explained RECOPE Executive President Littleton Bolton. "This pipeline is part of a greater effort to update our infrastructure. It will have a great impact on the country."

When completed, the gas line will handle the majority of the country's gasoline distribution.

"The pipeline will make the 400 trucks that currently transport gasoline from Limón to San José obsolete," Bolton said. "On average, customers can expect to save ¢6.60 (2 cents) per liter of gasoline after the pipeline is completed."

The Central American Economic Integration Bank (BCIE) and the Andean Development Corporation have offered to jointly finance the project.

This year, RECOPE spent approximately $542 million importing 2.4 million barrels of oil. Total oil consumption increased 10%, and the total cost of imports increased 28%, primarily as a result of rising international oil prices caused by the U.S.-led war in Iraq, according to RECOPE.

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Costa Rica Prepares Vaccination Campaign

Costa Rican health institutions plan to launch a massive vaccination campaign against the flu in an attempt to avoid an pandemic, according to a government statement on Monday.

In the first days of January, health officials will begin to administer about 80,000 doses of flu vaccine, primarily to children under five and adults older than 65, announced the Costa Rican Social Security System (Caja).

The 80,000 doses are already available, and new batches will be obtained by the Rotary Fund of the Pan-American Health Organization, said Hugo Arguedas, coordinator of the Ministry of Health's vaccination program.

The Caja has planned to invest $570,000 in the campaign, Arguedas said. Authorities also outlined a plan for improving standards of patient care and conducting surveys to monitor changes in the influenza virus.

The flu epidemic has grown rapidly through the United States, France and Spain, affecting millions of people and threatening to extend to other geographical areas. The World Health Organization has defined it as a nascent pandemic, occurring every 15 to 30 years.
-AFP

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