November is here, but the 2019 Marchamo is not ready, as has been the custom, because of the clash between the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS) and the Superintendencia General de Seguros (Sugese) – Insurance Superintendency.
Even resolving this issues today, it could still take a couple of weeks before owners of vehicles can start paying the annual circulation permit that includes property on the vehicle, the mandatory insurance and other costs.
This has never happened in previous years.
Everything was set for the collection to begin on November 1. But the national insurance company (INS), mandated to collect to collect the Marchamo, cannot do so until it has the regulator’s endorsement on the rates.
The Sugese rejected the INS rate proposal to apply basically the same 2018 rate for the 2019 period. INS argued that any increase on the insurance portion of the Marchamo – the Seguro Obligatorio de Automóviles (SOA) – an amount that represents 20% of the overall cost, would only increase delinquency. The Sugese considers keeping the rate the same as not profitable.
INS has appealed to the courts to be allowed to continue to start collecting the annual fee.
That is where we are today.
The consequences
If the collection does not start soon, the INS points out the big losers:
- INS itself. The institution will not have enough resources to face the benefits derived from traffic accidents that occur beginning in the new year
- The State. It affects the flow of money to the Ministerio de Hacienda (Ministry of Finance) for the collection of property tax, funds needed by the Treasury to meet its obligations, for example, bonuses, investments, interest, among others
- Owners of vehicles. As per the various regulations that concern the Marchamo, come January 1, 2019, if there is no resolution, that is the Marchamo is not paid, drivers may face fines and surcharges.
The 2018 rates approved by the Sugese and that the INS wants to apply for 2019, on the SOA, are as follows:
- Buses ¢86.821
- Motos and bicimotos ¢70.415
- Taxis ¢61.900
- Private vehicle ¢21.380
- Heavy trucks ¢19.741
- Lights trucks ¢16.194
- Special equipment ¢6.628
Check your Marchamo payment (if in arrears) here. If you are current, the result is “Este vehículo no tiene marchamos pendientes” (this vehiclehas no marchmos pending).
