{"id":15363,"date":"2024-11-11T19:11:08","date_gmt":"2024-11-11T19:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/central-law.com\/?p=15363"},"modified":"2024-11-11T19:11:08","modified_gmt":"2024-11-11T19:11:08","slug":"free-trade-zones-account-for-14-of-costa-ricas-gdp-and-40-of-foreign-investment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/central-law.com\/en\/free-trade-zones-account-for-14-of-costa-ricas-gdp-and-40-of-foreign-investment\/","title":{"rendered":"Free trade zones account for 14% of Costa Rica&#8217;s GDP and 40% of foreign investment"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In terms of investments, companies in free trade zones represented <\/span><b>$1.542 billion in 2023<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>40% of the total foreign investment that entered Costa Rica <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that year, which amounted to <\/span><b>$3.788 billion<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Costa Rica&#8217;s free trade zones generated <\/span><b>$12.276 billion in 2023<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, representing <\/span><b>14% of the country\u2019s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Additionally, they contribute <\/span><b>40% of foreign direct investment<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, according to a report released Thursday by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Agency (Procomer).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThis study highlights the data of a regime that not only generates investment and quality jobs, but also acts as a catalyst for opportunities for local businesses and is an <\/span><b>active contributor to the nation&#8217;s well-being<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d said Costa Rica\u2019s Minister of Foreign Trade, Manuel Tovar, in a statement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The study, titled <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Free Zones: A Driver of Competitiveness and Economic Growth in Costa Rica 2023<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, reveals that the <\/span><b>$12.276 billion<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> generated by these business parks includes <\/span><b>$5.621 billion in local purchases<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, reflecting a<\/span><b> 24% growth compared to 2022<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The study further emphasizes that for every dollar Costa Rica exempts from taxes for free zones, the country receives a return of <\/span><b>$2.80<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, yielding a net benefit of <\/span><b>$1.80<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Employment in these business parks is growing at an average annual rate of <\/span><b>9%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In 2023, there were <\/span><b>186,658 direct jobs and 64,871 indirect jobs created<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe sustained growth in local purchases, salaries, and tax contributions shows the boost to international competitiveness and strengthens Costa Rica\u2019s economic and social fabric,\u201d Minister Tovar stated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regarding investments, companies in free zones represented <\/span><b>$1.542 billion<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 2023, <\/span><b>40% of the total foreign investment that entered Costa Rica that year, which totaled $3.788 billion<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report also revealed that in 2023, <\/span><b>567<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> companies operated in <\/span><b>68 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">free zones. Of these, <\/span><b>65.8%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> belong to the services sector, <\/span><b>25.6%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to the industrial sector, and<\/span><b> 8.6% <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to the agro-industrial sector.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Furthermore, <\/span><b>59%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of companies operating in free zones are foreign-owned, and <\/span><b>64%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of Costa Rica\u2019s goods exports were made from companies located in these business parks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe Free Zone Regime represents one of Costa Rica\u2019s main competitive advantages, fosters the development of specialized human talent, and actively promotes the inclusion of thousands of women in the workforce. Additionally, <\/span><b>these companies contribute to economic well-being by offering salaries that are 1.8 times higher than the national private sector average<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d said Procomer\u2019s General Manager, Laura L\u00f3pez.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: Forbes Centroamerica<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In terms of investments, companies in free trade zones represented $1.542 billion in 2023, 40% of the total foreign investment that entered Costa Rica that year, which amounted to $3.788 billion. Costa Rica&#8217;s free trade zones generated $12.276 billion in 2023, representing 14% of the country\u2019s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Additionally, they contribute 40% of 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