In Costa Rica, the production structure shows a significant change.
A new Central Bank calculation reveals that the definitive regime, where most of the economic activity is concentrated, reduced its contribution to the national value added: it went from 90.5% to 85.3% in just five years.
On the other hand, the special regime, which mainly includes free trade zones, gained ground and now has a 14.7% share.
The sectors with the greatest drop in the final regime are agriculture, which fell from 5.1% to 4.4%, and construction, which fell from 5% to 4%.
In contrast, manufacturing, commerce and professional services are increasing their weight, driven especially by technological production in free zones.
Economists point out that while these areas are growing at double-digit rates, the final regime is slowing down and requires a public-private strategy to reactivate it, since most of the employment and tax revenues that sustain the country's institutional framework depend on it.
This is a news service prepared by ICS. For more information about the story, write to info@ics.cr or call 2519-9992 ICS, tax specialists.