Costa Rica Caribbean Athletes Dominate National Games

Athletes from the Caribbean are the champions of the National Games. Four of the eight finals of the 100 meters were won by those from Limón, although two of them run for San José, where they now live for educational purposes.

This was the the XXXVIII edition of the National Games. Alejandro Ricketts took gold in the 100 meters, Men’s Sub 18 category with 10:73. Angeline Pondler took gold for the central canton of Limón with 12:29 in the women’s Under 23 category.

Keylin Pennant, from Siquirres, took first for Coronado in the female Sub20 and Bryan Guzmán, of Pocora, won for Escazú. They are both on the Major athletic team and are studying in San José.

They train under coach Roberto Méndez. Guzmán is working towards reaching Bob Colville’s national record, which was set in 2004. Pennant is going for the youth record, set by Glenda Paterson.

Hotels in Costa Rica Losing Business Due to Blockade

Hoteliers, especially in the Caribbean, Sarapiquí and Guanacaste, are being strongly impacted by the blockades. They are reporting an average of 90% reservation cancellations.

Cahuita looks like a ghost town, something very strange for the high season. From Thursday to Monday some hotels had 100% cancellation because the tourists could not get there as both roads that go there were blocked. This is a place that relies on half year tourism and was hoping this season would help make up for losses from the strike last September.

Some visitors who were already there were unable to leave, missing out on other spots they planned to tour or even their flights home. Those who attempted to get to San José or La Fortuna took over a day to reach their destinations, putting in question the image of Costa Rica.

The Chamber of Tourism of Sarapiquí calculated losses of approximately $49,000 a day.

Businessmen in Guanacaste are considering legal action against those in charge of the blockades.

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Sales Down in Costa Rica for Cars, Appliances, More

Sales of cars, equipment, household appliances, and construction materials have been down, depressing trade and commercial activity for the last six months, according to measurements by the Central Bank.

The Chamber of Commerce predicts a recovery but not until 2020. The cycle trend series of monthly commercial activity index showed that the drag started in November, when the commercial activity was in the red, at -0.03%., over the last year.

BCCR measures behavior and value of the sale of goods. It looks at 23 groupings of products and a sample of companies from each that give monthly information to track trends.

Many factors can be affecting the trends. The main ones in recent months are the change of government, long strike in the country, inconsistencies in State policies about vehicles, and uncertainty from the application of the fiscal plan

How is VAT Going to Effect Your Wallet in Costa Rica?

The VAT is going to impact us all but to what extent? Most of us have questions about if we will have to pay more in rent, at the supermarket, etc. There is a calculator created by La Nación to investigate the effect the tax will have.

With this tool you can enter the amount you are used to paying for different categories and it will provide you with an invoice that will show the difference you can expect to pay. The calculator includes food and equipment, public services and rentals, education, health, entertainment, and rent.

The value added tax started on Monday, July 1. There are certain services that are exempt from the tax, such as gyms and student transportation. Most goods will pay the same 13% they have been subject to but it will be called VAT instead of sales tax.

There will also be new rates of income tax but only on those who earn over ¢2.1 million per month, which is just 4% of the salaried population.

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Slipknot Coming to Costa Rica in Concert

Slipknot will have its first concert in Costa Rica. The band is bringing 16 years of experience and 60 tons of equipment for the performance. It will also share with the Ticos its collection of masks used throughout the years.

It was 2006 when the group won a Grammy for Best Metal Performance. The American band became famous worldwide for its unique sound and terrifying masks that we will get to see firsthand at the Knotfest Roadshow in December.

The event will take place on December 4 at the Pedregal Events Center. It will include a fireworks display. The concert will be performed about 50 times in the U.S. between August and September. The band will then go to Mexico and Colombia.

The impressive show is interactive. It’s likely to be sold out due to the number of fans in the country. The ticket price has not yet been determined. Tickets will be on sale by the end of July.