Costa Rica News – This is going to be interesting to enforce, considering you are supposed to have this checked and then have a chance to fix it when you go get your car inspected at Riteve. Now you need to spend money before going to Riteve to make sure you do not get fined. While I agree with the concept implementation seems a bit guilty until proven innocent.
Costa Rica is about to charge car owners for the pollution they cause. Each car is to undergo an additional test during vehicle technical inspection by Riteve and will be assigned to a category based on the pollution that it causes.
This follows a report on the poor air quality in San Jose. The World Health Organization set a standard of 10 micrograms per cubic meter of fine particles derived from burning fossil fuels. San Jose has about 26. These gases are dangerous as they can cause dizziness, fatigue, respiratory and heart problems and damage to the nervous system.
The more contamination created by the car, the higher the fee will be. It will be paid along with the “marchamo” fee at the end of each year. The government hopes to raise $30 million in this way and use the money for urban mobility projects that discourage private vehicle use, such as bike paths and better bus routes. Yet we all know that the money will not be used what it is supposed to be used for.
Look at the Costa Rican roads. Money from the high gasoline prices are supposed to go to upkeep and yet it is not used for that.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport and the Ministry of Environment and Energy have yet to define the ranges and amounts of fees.
The details will be defined and formalized by the end of the year.
