Costa Rica’s association of used-vehicle importers plans to challenge in court a Ministry of Finance decree that changed how import taxes on cars are calculated. The importers say the rule, in place since Sept. 1, has doubled or tripled the taxes they pay. Under the decree, customs compares the value declared on the commercial invoice, including freight and insurance, with the Ministry of Finance’s reference value for an identical vehicle.
Import taxes are then calculated on whichever figure is higher, which the importers say is usually the ministry’s value. Stanley Quepuy, president of the association, known by its Spanish acronym Aepsau, described taxing vehicles on the ministry’s reference values as an invention. The group argues that taxes should instead be based on the depreciated value of the vehicle being imported.
Quepuy acknowledged that some importers may have taken advantage of the previous system to pay less, but said the entire sector is now bearing the consequences. The association attributes those cases mainly to weak checks by customs. Quepuy said importers agree the market needs regulation to prevent distortions, provided it rests on fair taxes.
The association also argues that the rule undermines free competition, hurts families who need a vehicle and creates legal uncertainty. The Ministry of Finance had not publicly responded to the association’s announcement. The ministry has defended the change as a correction to a distortion in tax collection. It estimates that undervalued vehicle imports led to about ₡20,000 million (roughly $44 million) in evaded taxes.
Carlos Aguilar, executive director of the Association of Vehicle and Machinery Importers (Aivema), said the loophole opened in 2024, when the previous valuation decree for new and used vehicles was eliminated. The government then took two years to replace it.
During that period, Aguilar said, informal importers paid taxes based on invoice values, which led to undervaluation and underbilling with unrealistic figures. In one case reported in 2025, a BMW valued at $195,000 was declared at $7,400, and its owner paid $3,540 in taxes instead of the roughly $62,400 that would have applied at its U.S. market price.
The decree, which covers both new and used vehicles, includes other changes. If a vehicle does not appear on the official list of reference values, the importer must provide technical information so its value can be set objectively. The Directorate General of Taxation manages and updates that list.
The decree also limits individuals who are not registered as vehicle sellers to importing one vehicle per year. The association has not said when it will file its challenge or before which court. Until a court rules otherwise, customs will continue to calculate import taxes under the new formula.
