Impacto de la política fiscal en la distribución del ingreso y la pobreza en Costa Rica

Costa Rica allocates over 20% of its GDP to finance a broad range of social programs. Social spending is funded primarily through indirect taxes, as well as through specific social security contributions. Using market income as a reference, only direct taxes turn out to be clearly progressive, as opposed to indirect taxes and specific contributions to the social security system, which tend to be rather neutral in relative terms. Nonetheless, most social programs are progressive, in fact some of them are very progressive –especially cash transfers, which are highly focalized– resulting in reductions in poverty and, principally, inequality. The study highlights the enormous significance of increasing amount and progressiveness in the country’s taxes, to give sustainability to the social public expenditure as well as strengthening certain focalized programs with a great impact on the poorest.