As a necessary condition to create greater wealth and wellbeing in the population, the entrepreneurs of the Costa Rican Chamber of the Food Industry (CACIA) ask the government authorities to take actions that promote an improvement in the country’s competitiveness.
It is impossible to promote welfare if the private sector is not highly competitive. The food industry has insisted for many years on the relaunch of a sectoral competitiveness strategy that takes into account aspects such as a competitive and efficient energy supply. Costa Rica cannot continue to be the most expensive country in the region in terms of hydrocarbons and electricity,”
added Maurizio Musmanni, vice president of the Chamber.
He pointed out that the State should facilitate business activity by eliminating or simplifying procedures and requirements in processes such as health records and operating permits; and encourage the formality of the small industry through the simplification of the requirements and charges from the State for the first five years of a new enterprise.
CACIA also proposes the creation a system of amnesty for specific procedures, for small businesses with more than 10 years of operation, which for regulatory reasons, fear to formalize their activity, and establish a single window of procedures between instances of the Executive Power and the municipalities that integrate, in a single process, all the support that can be received from entities such as the National Apprenticeship Institute (INA), the Foreign Trade Promoter (PROCOMER) and Banca para el Desarrollo, among others.
In addition, they want to facilitate regional and international trade by reducing the costs of merchandise logistics, especially in customs procedures, and establish a regional tax and customs administration process that allows the free movement of merchandise in the region, at least in low-risk products.
The Chamber hopes that these proposals will be used by the government in order to generate more sources of employment for the population, impacting positively the quality of life of Costa Ricans.