Despite a Presidential Decree issued last week, the exit tax charged at Costa Rica airports for international travelers will remain at $29. The Decree seeks to increase the airport exit tax by $2, which will benefit the National Animal Welfare Service (Spanish acronym: SENASA), a government entity.

 

According to a news report by Fernando Muñoz of national radio station Monumental 93.5 FM, the Decree may or may not stand in the future. On Thursday, President Luis Guillermo Solis announced the decision by the Executive Branch to put the Decree on hold. The President explained that the increase needs to be further discussed by two government entities: the Tourism Board of Costa Rica (Spanish initials: ICT) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. These two entities will discuss the matter in the next two months.

 

There is a possibility that SENASA may no longer be the beneficiary of the airport tax increase, which may not even take place if the two aforementioned government agencies decide that the tax should be left as is.

 

One concern about the exit tax increase to benefit SENASA is that the agency was not prepared to help with the logistics required to bring implementation assistance airlines, banks, hotels and other businesses that offer payment of this tax to their customers. Ministry of Tourism Mauricio Ventura explained that the ICT is in a better position in this regard.

 

Hoteliers in Costa Rica are opposed to the increase since they believe that the last four hikes in less than six years have been four too many.

 

The tax is collected by decree of Law Number 8316, which effectively amended Law 5874. In its original version, the tax intended to collect $30 from all travelers leaving Costa Rica by air, land or sea; however, the amount was later reduced to $26 and significantly lowered at the land borders. The problem with the original law is that it infringed upon the constitutional right to freely move around the country without restriction.