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[quote=”ticorealtor”]Income up to ?323,000 exempt.
In excess of ?323,000 up to ?485,000 10%.
In excess of ?485,000 15%.Well if this is true than anyone making under 615.69 a month is tax free.
over $615.69 up to $924.49 is taxed 10%
over $924.49 is 15%, that is cheaper than Minnesota where we pay state income tax and fed. Not bad…. I would rather pay the 15 percent verses what we are paying now.
And take a pay cut to work in CR! Not bad![/quote]Consider though that taxes are relative. We put up with roads that are inferior to those in the States as the most obvious difference. Growing up in rural Colorado in the 1950’s I would say the roads here are a step below that and accept it. With limited taxes there are limitations as to what the government is capable of doing.
You just cannot find a life like this anywhere in the States. That is a great incentive to live with what we have.
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]the first $87k or so is tax free as far as IRS is concerned. You still have to file the tax returns, etc., however.[/quote]
If I were earning $87k in Costa Rica…wow!
I can’t even imagine what the Costa Rican tax code looks like. Flat tax? Sliding scale American style? Something to look into just out of curiosity.
[url=http://www.costaricaweb.com/business/cindetaxes.htm]Costa Rican tax code[/url]
I’ve either got to quit reading your posts or find a way to shelve my curiosity.
[quote=”ticorealtor”]What happens if you have dual citizenship? My wife is a Tica first and became a U.S. Citizen a year ago. I have dual Citizen because of my wife and my three year old daughter has dual citizenship. By August we will be full time living in Costa Rica. We have jobs lined up and we already have bank accounts set up as well.
What will we have to report? Maybe we should give up our U.S. citizenship if it gets to crazy.[/quote]It is legal to have dual citizenship.
Just being married doesn’t get your residency. You have to apply for the cedula (ID card) at Migracion.You can find more definitive information at this commercial site:
[url=http://www.residencyincostarica.com/questions.html]http://www.residencyincostarica.com/questions.html[/url][quote=”Johnhw2″] The consumer driven economy is tapped out in the US and with a low population growth rate, demand is weak and going to stay so for some time.[/quote]
The true unemployment rate is said to be something over 25%. The consumer driven economy isn’t tapped out, it is underemployed. What is to be done to bring jobs back to the U.S.? Lowering wages doesn’t bring back consumers, they just buy what China sells, cheap products not worth the price.
[quote=”Johnhw2″]The truth about our situation is undeniable but the solutions are not as clear as some suggest… Meanwhile, CR sounds like the place to be.[/quote]
Clarity and leadership come from Washington, D.C. and can only be found by getting rid of the radical fringe idealists that are being elected. If moderate men capable of compromise are not elected you can kiss 1st world standing goodbye.
Everything in the States affects everywhere in the world. What we have going for us here is a beautiful country with friendly, helpful people.
[quote=”mindfulobserver”]Thats a great idea—just let the Brutalizing class take everything you have —-be a good little slave while they send your children to die in illegal foreign wars
Waggoner–you are a Genius[/quote]Since The Shrub is no longer in office I did not have world domination in mind and being [b]mindful[/b] we should [b]observe[/b] who it was that initiated a unilateral war in Iraq and who is currently moving us out of Afghanistan.
Like you, I have a problerm with the ultra conservative idea of world domination and find it hard to justify any unilateral interference by the U.S. since the 1950’s with the possible exception of Grenada.
Ho Chi Minh asked the U.S. to help expel the French from Indochina in the 1940’s and we refused and then decided to fight him once the mission was accomplished.
The war in Afghanistan was justified and against the organization that attacked the U.S. and those who provided aid and comfort. It was also totally screwed up for seven years.
The unilateral decision to invade Iraq was not justified and was initiated by the same group of idiots who do not remember history and made the same mistakes that the British made. The cobbled together “nation” of Iraq will never hold together without a strongman and will revert to oppression of one group or another as soon as we remove our presence. The best thing that could happen to Iraq is to divide it into it’s various factions as seperate nations.
You and I probably have more in common than your short rant would suggest. I did not have in mind that taxes be used to continue as the U.S. has. We have enough problems at home that need to be addressed. In order to solve the current problems created by the previous administration will initially take trillions of $$$ that will be recovered in the long haul but we cant leave it to our children to resolve.
If you think that my life in Costa Rica puts me out of concern regarding what is in the future of the U.S., it doesn’t. I have a large family, children, grandchildren and great grands living in the States and you had better bet I am concerned.
[b]Sorry, Scott.[/b] With me poltics just happens. What goes on in the States affects us all no matter where we are.
[quote=”Andrew@CR”] People are often looked down upon who don’t make it here.[/quote]
I don’t think anyone looks down on those who dont make it. Culture shock is a big part of why they go back and there are many things that go into that. The pace is more deliberate and things we feel should go quickly (Migracon) dont. Customer service is not a widespread concept and that is difficult for some. It depends a lot on the life that we want and some can accept the radical change in culture.
That isnt looking down or placing blame in any way just trying to understand why some people stay and some give up. Its just a matter of the relative importance of things in your life.
[quote=”jmhardy”]I have a small house in Tronadora (near Tilaran) which I rent out from time to time. It’s been rented by a couple building a home for about the past year, so sitting vacant hasn’t been an issue. However it may be sitting empty soon, and my real estate people have told me that I definitely should think about securing the windows and doors with some kind of security bars. The quote for putting these bars on this 900 s.f. house is $2100, which sounds astronomically high to me. There are four normal windows, and two patio sliders. The crime rate in this area is very low, but once word gets around that a house is sitting empty, who knows what can happen. Does anyone have any recommendations on a) whether that price seems fair or b) any other solutions I should consider?[/quote]
Since there are two prices for everything in Costa Rica if you have Tico friends that can help you out have them inquire about prices with measurements for the openings.
We have a family that provides this service for us and it has saved us a lot of cash.
[quote=”natasha”]Is it possible to buy an apartment in Costa Rica for $100,000? Where in Costa Rica is the best place to live for someone who does not have a car?[/quote]
Where you live is an open question that depends on what your preferences are as to climate and other considerations.
We live in Ciudad Colon about 20km west of San Jose and as Scott said the bus service is very good running about every 30 minutes to and from here.
Since I am more familiar with this area going toward San Jose, Ciudad Colon average daytime tempurature is about 26C Santa Ana is a little higher and cooler and Rio Oro de Santa Ana is higher and cooler yet. You should be able to find housing under $100,000 in any of these areas.
[b]Cars:[/b] I paid US$1200 for a 1986 Nissan Vanette but a smaller car would cost less.
[b]Furniture:[/b] Can be quite inexpensive with patience. you might consider renting until you can acclimate yourself to where you want to live and what you will need.
[quote=”wspeed1195″]your friends purchase it at Lowes and bring it to you.you pay for it and it’s lading,then house them,have BBQ’s and such,send them back after A week.
repeat cycle.[/quote]Or a better idea now that you remind me of it. I manage the house behind for my neighbors while they are in the States. They’ll be back about December and we should have that BBQ anyway.
[quote=”karen1947″]I keep reading that the price of fuel is quite high in CR. How high is it? I will be visiting in 4 weeks and renting a small 4 wheel drive. Thanks, Karen:)[/quote]
Regular unleaded is 586 per liter today, thats about $4.13 per gallon at todays 525 colones per dollar.
[quote=”earlyriser”]Congressman Alan Grayson questioning Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on $550B of loans to foreigners[/quote]
Might I ask what was the date of this questioning?
[quote=”sueandchris”]Maravilla: I too have noticed that you have a very negative view of the country.[/quote]
I think rather that Maravilla is more open about voicing her opinion of the “warts” she sees. The Rio Tarcoles is said to be the most polluted in Central America.
Just for discussion of the topic of pollution with all the hoopla regarding what a paradise Costa Rica is there is a negative side as with all areas of human habitation.
The real downside is that [b]there are no meaningful penalties[/b] for polluting either the rivers and beaches or the highways or the cities. If a penalty of 100,00 colones was enforced on an individual throwing trash from a car or forcing a business to clean up their polution and then doubling the cost as a penalty or close them down, confiscate the property and sell it to an investor who will install the improvements needed to bring it into compliance. Finding and eliminating raw sewage sources through forced remediation or monetary penalties for non-compliance. All of these would be helpful but they dont exist in law.
California enacted a law that requires a deposit on beverage containers which resulted in an almost immediate reduction of these items in the environment. Costa Rica could do the same for all containers.
Someone needs to say something about the down side of Costa Rica even in a small way and Maravilla is doing that. It’s just being realistic.
[quote=”maravilla”]I can predict with uncanny accuracy… who will make it here and who won’t after only a few conversations..[/quote]
I don’t think the accuracy part is uncanny it’s just reasonable understanding of human nature.
I love Costa Rica and the people but the changes stressed me to the point of losing 25% of my body weight until I understood that they think differently than Americans do and you have to go with the flow.
If you had known me that first year you would have bet that I wouldn’t make it but it was important enough to me to understand my dissatisfaction and make changes in my outlook. Since that realization I have had no problem and enjoy the life here very much.
I think that many expats don’t have the ability to make that adjustment.
[quote=”Joan&Troy”]Your advice sounds very sound indeed. My husband and I recently purchased some property and are still about 3 years from having enough income to meet the new residency requirements. I noted in the articles that it is also indicated that you will be required to enroll in the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social. Does anyone have an idea how much that would cost two people per month? Again, we are just trying to get an idea so we know what kind of resources we will need to make the move. Thanks![/quote]
My wife has been on CAJA for over a year and the cost just went up from 13,125 to 15,125 per month. I just joined CAJA and mine is 31,250 per month. Both of us are on SSI and only $130 difference in income so I’m not sure why the difference.The last time I looked at the exchange rate it was 525 colones per $. That puts our current cost for CAJA at $88.33 per month.During the past 2 1/2 years the exchange rate has fluctuated between 492 and 580 colones per $. You can keep up with the exchange rate at: http://www.bccr.fi.cr/flat/bccr_flat.htm
We applied for our residency as individuals but if you apply as a couple with one income you might get into CAJA at a lower rate. You might look into that through a good attorney [b](beware the attorneys in Costa Rica).[/b]
[quote=”but999″]Does anyone know how long it should take to aquire a resident card once all the documents have been submitted. I am Canadian married to a Tica for 32 years. The process was started in Canada with the Consolate of Costa Rica, all the documents were authenticated in Costa Rica, Birth certificate, mariage certicate, criminal background check, fingerprints in CR, and submitted by a CR Attorney. The process is going on four years is this excessive.[/quote]
COntact the office of the Controloria at Migracion, 2299-8109. Have your passport number and ask them to check on your status. It is a lot easier to followe up on the attorneys work if you are here.
