QCOSTARICA – The Cruz Roja Costarricesence (Costa Rica Red Cross) is getting a much needed financial boost, with the signing by President Luis Guillermo Solis of a law that imposes a 1% tax on all telephone bills (fixed lines and both prepaid and postpaid cellular) and an increase in the value of the Cruz Roja “timbre” (stamp) from ¢250 to ¢500 colones.
The law will generate and additional ¢3 billion colones in annual revenue for the Red Cross.
“We are happy to be signing this law, because it is a demonstration to the Costa Rican people, that in matters of great national importance we agree. This is a joint effort achieved through dialogue and respectful discussion,” said the President Solis.
Glauco Quesada Ramírez, president of the Cruz Roja, said this is not just talk about financial aid, but a clear expression of support for the independent and impartial service that the Red Cross offers the people all across the country.
The Cruz Roja is divided into 121 local committees, attending more than 300,000 incidents yearly.
