Martinelli threatens Colon Free Zone
The government of President Ricardo Martinelli is asking the Colon Free Zone to contribute to taxes for at least $100 million more than they currently pay. "They made $1,590 million in 2008 and paid just $62.9 million in taxes. The $100 million that we are asking for is a tiny fraction of the value being generated," said the Vice-minister of Finance, Dulcidio De La Guardia. The colon Free Zone Users’ Association said that if the government imposes taxes on that commercial area, it could lose 30,000 jobs and would risk the permanence of transnational corporations in the area. "Devastating" would be the effects of tax reform on the Colon Free Zone, said the former director of planning and finance of this commercial area, Raul Moreira. Economy and Finance Minister, Alberto Vallarino commented: "We are talking with users of the zone. They do not want to pay taxes, or want to make tax returns, but we need that tax, " An increase in the rents currently charged by the Colon Free Zone is one of several other measures contemplated

Biomuseum will help economy
The contribution of the Museum of Biodiversity to Panama's economy could reach $100 million a year. The executive director of the Amador Foundation, Lider Sucre, makes this projection based on data from a study by the consultancy KPMG, which in 2002 estimated that there would be an annual contribution to the economy of $65.9 million.

The African connection
Panama is now used as a transit country for undocumented Africans, whose destination, it is presumed, is the United States, said the Minister of Government and Justice, Jose Raul Mulino. It is a network created from some African countries that passes through Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia and some people have been found in Panama, said the Minister during his participation in a debate broadcast by PRC Television.

Venezuelan airline begins Panama flights
The Venezuelan company Santa Barbara Airlines (SBA Airlines) began daily flights to Panama from Caracas using a Boeing 757 aircraft The launch was a companied by aggressive promotions.

Frequent flier points finding a new value
Frequent flier programs have been around for years and billions of miles go unused, but those in the know are now trading their mileage. Once upon a time airlines prohibited swaps of frequent-flier miles and it's still in the fine print of many loyalty programs, but now some are perfectly happy with exchanges because they collect a fee on every trade. The way it works is that users list what they've got -- the number of miles on which airline -- and the number of miles they want specifying another airline. There is no charge for listing, but consumers on both ends of a completed swap pay a fee, most of which goes to the airlines. Some trades are straight-up -- 10,000 miles in one airline for 10,000 at another. Some traders, however, put a higher value on some carriers, such as the big ones.

Amador Causeway accord
Four of the leading debtors on the Amador Causeway reached payment agreements with the government and started to cancel the debts, it was reported by the Minister of Economy and Finance (MEF), Alberto Vallarino. The initial payment made by Group F. International is $500,000, Brisas de Amador paid $500,000, Naos Harbor Island $188,000 and Fuerte Amador Resort and Marina $300,000 adding up to $1,488,00 which is already in the coffers. Group F. International was reported to have reached an agreement to pay $2 million to the government on the concessions it holds in Amador. "The agreement was satisfactory to both parties," The newspaper Panama America was told by a government source. Group F and the government will continue to negotiate the legal issues, such as the claims that remain in court," said the source

The undervalued Lamborghini
A Lamborghini valued at $243,000 was declared by a Customs broker to be worth $43,000 in order to pay less tax. said The Director of Customs, Gloria M. Lopez . She.announced that she will make public the name of any broker involved in cases of tax evasion.

Dry canal idea “outlandish”
The president of the Association for the Conservation of the Biosphere, Ezequiel Miranda, rejected the government initiative to build a “dry canal” to link Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro. His opposition and that of other environmentalists is because the route would cross the La Amistad International Park and the Volcan Baru National Park. "It's an outlandish idea, affecting nature reserves," he said

Inter-Americas link through Kuna Yala?
The daily Panama America reported that the Panamanian coast in the Indian area of Kuna Yala could become an alternative for the interlinking of Central and South America, but a path through the "Darien Gap" was ruled out. The paper said the information was released by president Ricardo Martinelli during the XI Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Mechanism for Dialogue and Tuxtla held in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Call to protect former Canal Zone areas
The daily La Critics said that residents of the reverted areas will not cease in their struggle to preserve the area that belongs to the district of Ancon. Residents signed a pact to enforce agreements of municipal laws that created protected areas within the former Canal Zone, such as Ancon Hill and the Parque Metropolitano.

The war on corruption hots up
The Comptroller sent to the newly created Court of Auditors 78 new cases of alleged corruption in the government where the damage to government assets would amount to $4,100,000. Among the new cases under investigation by the Court of Accounts is a report on the management of the consulate in Rotterdam by Luis Ramirez, and fresh evidence of the disappearance of metal statues from the Games of Yesteryear, and the scandal of contracts for removing fiberglass from schools. Lectures and workshops on the prevention of corruption will no longer be the main tasks of the executive secretary of the National Council of Transparency Against Corruption. Now this office can investigate on its own or through anonymous reports of any cases of corruption in the public administration and submit this to the competent authorities.

The old, old story
The daily newspaper El Siglo reported that three relatives of the first lady, Marta Linares Brin Martinelli have been appointed in the Foreign Service by the government of Ricardo Martinelli. The new ambassador to Peru, Carlos Luis Linares Brin, is the brother of the first lady, Marta Linares. His daughter Pamela Clarke Linares is the consul in that country, and his son Alvaro Linares Clarke was appointed consul in Barcelona.