Costa Rica Takes Bold Step to Protect Citizens Against Illegal Alcohol

In 2019, more than 25 people died in a single case of alcohol poisoning resulting from methanol-laced alcoholic drinks. Soon thereafter, the government closed over 10 establishments and seized 55,000 containers of the killer alcohol.

New legislation to address this problem was quickly introduced by Daniel Ulate, a member of the Costa Rican National Assembly; however, the legislation met with heavy opposition from the industry, despite the tragedy, and was ultimately blocked.

This was accompanied by an intense anti-tax stamp media campaign that was the subject of a letter written by the International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) to Costa Rica’s Chamber of Commerce, a leading force behind the opposing lobbying campaign. ITSA’s letter set the record straight in relation to the false claims made about tax stamps and traceability (see Tax Stamp & Traceability News™, October 2020).

Mr Ulate, meanwhile, continued to fight for the passage of the new legislation, hosting educational hearings for fellow assembly members and reaching out to the public health community for support.