Finance Ministry Will Seek to Tax Virtual Casinos in New Bill
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The financial ministry is about to present to the legislature a bill to regulate virtual casino operations located in the country. Ministry officials said they hoped to get up to $100 million a year in new taxes.
The disclosure came from Jenny Phillips, the minister of Hacienda in the Comisión de Control del Ingreso y el Gasto Público. The minster pointed out that the virtual casinos are unregulated now. She did not amplify what the bill would contain nor was the scope of the types of gambling to be covered outlined.
The minister said that the bill is part of a campaign against tax fraud and reforms so that the country can take in more taxes. Virtual casinos and online gambling operations are all over Costa Rica. This country and Antigua are the two places with the highest concentration of virtual gambling, the minster said.
There was no indication what provisions would be made to keep the virtual operations, which are highly transportable, from going elsewhere if taxes are levied. Although the operations themselves are not taxed, such businesses employ many local individuals who contribute to the general economy.
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