QCOSTARICA – At the stroke of midnight tonight, at gasoline stations across the country fuels will be more expensive.
The increase will be especially strong for diesel users, a liter going from ¢873 to ¢1,004 for a rise of ¢131.
Meanwhile, regular and super gasoline will increase by ¢88: regular going from ¢993 to ¢1,081 and the super from ¢1,016 to ¢1,104.
The regulatory authority, the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (ARESEP), approved the mega-increase on Monday, whose publication was this morning in the official government newsletter, La Gaceta.
According to ARESEP, the sharp increase responds to the international price of imported fuels between June and July and also to the high exchange rate.
This Wednesday, President Rodrigo Chaves assured that the high price of fuels “got out of hand” and instructed the RECOPE, Treasury and the Presidency to develop a bill to put a maximum cost on fuels, a ceiling on prices if you will.
Read more: President Chaves wants to set ‘ceiling’ on gasoline prices
To achieve this, the only way will be to lower the single tax on fuels, a decision that, according to the Treasury, will leave some items without financing; or else, it will mean the issuance of a new debt that Costa Ricans will end up paying in the future.
The President’s plan is to subsidize the cost of fuels if the price goes over ¢900 colones a liter of super and regular gasoline and ¢800 for a liter of diesel.