fiscal reform

We hope you're reading this with a delicious Costa Rican coffee or traditional gallo pinto. Here's the Costa Rica (and regional) news you should know on Thursday, October 29.

The initiative prohibits strikes in essential public services such as health, safety, school lunchrooms, and water and energy supply. It also puts limits on work stoppages in education.

Alvarado has called the unemployment rate — recently tallied at 11.3% of the economically active population — as the most serious economic problem in Costa Rica.

Alvarado also expressed his concern about unemployment, which last year reached 12% of the economically active population, the highest rate in recent years.

The Plenary Court has rejected the tax reform project in its current state.

The government and public sector unions, which have been on a strike for three weeks, postponed a meeting to discuss a preliminary agreement to lift the strike, the Catholic Church said this Sunday.

Costa Rica's Legislative Assembly passed six bills in August, including funding for several big projects but excluding the major bills supporters hoped would get passed.

President Solís highlighted the healthy economy in his State of the Nation speech but offered no hints as to how his administration might change tack to achieve its specific goals, including fiscal reform.