Infeasibility of charging Value Added Tax in Costa Rica's single price model for fuels and transition to a sustainable energy matrix
Gespeichert in:
| Autoren: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | artículo original |
| Status: | Versión publicada |
| Publikationsdatum: | 2025 |
| Beschreibung: | This article examines the structural incompatibility between the value added tax (VAT) and Costa Rica’s single-price model for fuels, administered by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (ARESEP). It analyzes how applying VAT to fuel transportation is legally inadmissible and economically unfeasible within a system based on specific amounts per gallon and governed by the principle of tariff solidarity, which ensures uniform fuel prices nationwide. The research adopts a mixed and analytical approach, based on a regulatory review of the Law on the Strengthening of Public Finances, Law no. 9635 (Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica, 2019), and the Law on Tax Simplification and Efficiency, Law no. 8114 (Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica, 2001), as well as resolutions issued by ARESEP and the criteria of the General Directorate of Taxation of the Ministry of Finance. The results demonstrate that taxing transportation with VAT would fragment the single-price mechanism, violate the constitutional principle of tax legality and legislative reserve, and undermine territorial equity. Likewise, the fixed charge of US 0,011 per gallon established by ARESEP in 2019 constitutes an improper parafiscal levy lacking legal foundation. The study concludes that Costa Rica’s fiscal and energy sustainability demands a comprehensive reform capable of harmonizing tariff regulation, tax legality, and the transition toward a low-carbon energy matrix, in accordance with the principles of equity, transparency, and legal certainty. |
| Land: | Portal de Revistas UNA |
| Institution: | Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica |
| Repositorio: | Portal de Revistas UNA |
| Sprache: | Español |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:www.revistas.una.ac.cr:article/20389 |
| Online Zugang: | https://www.revistas.una.ac.cr/index.php/economia/article/view/20389 |
| Stichwort: | Value Added Tax Fossil Fuels Environment ARESEP regulación tarifaria exenciones tributarias transporte de hidrocarburos solidaridad económica |