No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveCosta Rica's 2009 budget beefs up social spending

Costa Rica’s 2009 budget beefs up social spending

 

Government spending on education, health care and the environment would all increase next year in the proposed 2009 budget that Finance Minister Guillermo Zúñiga handed over to the Legislative Assembly yesterday.
 
The assembly will now examine and make changes to the budget, which must be voted on before December.
 
The budget lays out about ¢4.1 trillion ($7.45 billion) in spending, which is an increase of 17.9 percent over this year’s budget.
 
“The growth is a little bit smaller,” Zúñiga said, referring to the current budget, which was 18.6 percent larger than 2007’s.
 
 
President Oscar Arias announced last week that the 2009 budget would emphasize social spending, dedicating 45 percent of the nation’s resources to key areas such as health care, housing, education, pensions and cash transfer programs to poor families and mothers.
 
Health spending, for example, would rise 37.6 percent. Avancemos (Let’s Go Forward), a program that gives monthly cash transfers to poor families in exchange for keeping their kids in school, would get $110 million, a 52 percent increase over 2008.
 
The Public Education Ministry would see a total budget of ¢1.1 billion ($2 billion), an increase of 37.5 percent over this year, Zúñiga said. According to the Finance Ministry, education spending represents 6.3 percent of Costa Rica’s gross domestic product (GDP). The Constitution was changed in 1997 to require government spending on education to equal at least 6 percent of GDP, however President Arias’ 2007 budget was the first to comply. 
 
Environment spending is also set to increase under the Arias administration’s budget. The Environment, Energy and Telecommunications Ministry (MINAET) would receive $52 million, a 36.6 percent boost over this year’s budget. Of that, about $20 million would go to the national parks system and $1 million would go to Arias’ broad environmental program Peace with Nature.
 

Trending Now

Costa Rica Approves Extradition of Ex-Minister Gamboa and Associates

A Costa Rican court has approved the extradition of former Security Minister Celso Gamboa Sánchez to the United States on charges of international cocaine...

U.S. Labeled Terrorists Escape Guatemalan Jail Amid Homicide Surge

Guatemala City – Authorities in Guatemala confirmed on Sunday that 20 high-ranking members of the Barrio 18 gang broke out of the Fraijanes II...

White House Calls Nobel Prize to Venezuelan Machado ‘Politics Over Peace’

The Norwegian Nobel Committee handed the 2025 Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on Friday, sparking sharp words from the White...

Cost of living in Costa Rica from a U.S. Expat

Paradise doesn’t come cheap. Cars, gas, appliances, phones, TVs often cost more in Costa Rica. But not everything. Here’s a simple, like-for-like look at...

Riu Guanacaste Hotel Reopens in Costa Rica After Renovation

The Riu Guanacaste hotel in Costa Rica has reopened after a complete renovation, welcoming guests back to its beachfront spot on Matapalo Beach. The...

Costa Rica Proposes Date for Chaves Immunity Review

Costa Rica's lawmakers took a step forward today in addressing the latest push to strip President Rodrigo Chaves of his legal protections. The Legislative...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica