Costa Rica News – If you are paying attention at all to what the Costa Rican government and its inefficient entities are doing you will notice that their inabilities to do this cost efficiently are being passed onto the Costa Rican population. This is true of the over $5 a gallon gas prices and now this electricity rate increase.
Households whose electric service is provided by the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) must pay an additional 13% average in the electrical service.
The new rates were approved yesterday by the Regulatory Authority of Public Services (Aresep) and shall become effective their upon its publication in the official Gazette .
The increase also covers power generation, which will rise by 14%. This will indirectly affect customers for all distribution companies and cooperatives that buy electricity from ICE.
Also, the public lighting service will rise 10.6% as well.
As much as people will try to make excuses for these increases and say it is needed to keep up with the increasing costs to supply these items, why have there been no increases in minimum wage or other policies put into effect to help the public keep up with the cost of living increases in Costa Rica.
Marchamo has been increased, Electricity increased. Cost of food seems t go up each day. Rents in Costa Rica are not that much different than the average in the USA. Real Estate prices are about of equal value in the USA as well, the only thing you get a break on are the yearly real estate taxes. (which may be increasing soon). If they want to have US prices in Costa Rica then increase the wages paid in the land of “Pura Vida.”
People are told that their retirement savings can go a lot further in Costa Rica, but the more and more people I talk to about this they are saying that it does not go as far as you think.
