COSTA RICA NEWS – Stop. If you haven’t yet, DO NOT pay your Marchamo. Not yet. You have until the end of December.
The reason? There is a storm is brewing over the increased cost over last year, led by a group of legislators by the Movimiento Libertation, with the filing of a “recurso amparo” (appeal) to the Constitutional Court.
Joined by the Cámara Costarricense Automotriz (Automobile Chamber), they criticize the table used in calculating the taxable (fiscal) value of a vehicle.
Costa Rica is the only country in the world where a vehicle actually “appreciates” in value – fiscal value, which is not related to street or market value, over time.
The argument is that an increase in the fiscal value not only increases the property tax payment on the vehicle, but also affects the cost of property transfers when a vehicle is bought and sold, import and other taxes. In effect, it is a form of double taxation.
The reason to hold off on the payment of the 2015 Marchamo is that if the Court sides with the appellant, it could effectively reduce the property tax amount. And the Costa Rican way is not to refund those who have paid, unless they make their own specific claim.
Source: Telenoticias
