Food Items About To Get More Expensive in Costa Rica

29 products that used to be tax free will now have a 13% sales tax added. This is because they were taken out of the “canasta basica.” Some are concerned with this because they are healthy foods that will now be out of reach for the poorest families.

This list of basic foods consumed by the poorest households are the foods that become tax exempt. 29 items have been taken off the list and 14 have been added to lasts year’s list.

There are 189 goods on the list. It no longer includes avocados, strawberries, lemons, lard, pâté, or tuna. Some of the additions include goat’s milk, green bananas and “flor de itabo.”

This list is meant to represent the foods that the economically lowest 20% of the population consumes regularly. It’s based on 129 reports from the National Survey of Income and Expenses. It is not based on nutritional value.