New tax bill proposed for cement sales in Costa Rican province

Oscar Cascante, a deputy of Costa Rica’s PUSC party, is reportedly pushing for legislation that will see a five per cent sales tax on Cementos Fortaleza, a relatively new player in the country’s cement production sector. The company inaugurated its plant in Esparza, Puntarenas province, 10 months ago.

Current legislation states that cement firms must pay five per cent tax on the price of every sale if they carry out production in Guanacaste, Cartago or San José. The taxes are then used by the respective municipalities and provinces where the cement plants are located. The proposed bill would see Esparza receive 25 per cent of the taxes from Cementos Fortaleza, with the remaining 75 per cent split amongst different areas in Puntarenas, which is an economically depressed area, according to La Nación.