Theater at Noon
National Classical Theater Company of Spain, March 24; Bafrica, dance and music from Africa, March 31, all at noon, National Theater.

Speaker's Forum: Cocos Island
Bilingual, led by Oscar Sierra, March 24, 7 p.m., Big Mike's, Escazú. Info: 2289-6333, 8821-4708, 8869-6031.

Play: Mujer Es de Barro
Drama, March 24-25, 30-31, April 1, 8 p.m., Teatro de Cámara of the Theater National Company, next to La Aduana Theater. Info: 2257-8305.

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.”

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.

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.