The Asamblea Legislativa will be getting a proposed rewrite of the country’s liquor law that seeks to end the secondary market in licenses and create more permits for restaurants and tourist locations.

The set of proposals is being promoted by Evita Arguedas Maklouf, leader of the Movimiento LIbertario in the assembly. She said that she hopes a new law will end the corruption that is caused by excessively complex procedures.

The current liquor law dates from 1936 and is antiquated, she said.

The proposed laws would call for a 10,000-colon payment to obtain a liquor license. That’s about $20. In San José where no new liquor licenses have been granted since 1987, such permits are rented to new establishments by private parties for as much as 70 million colons a year, some $134,000, according to Ms. Arguedas. The original owners, in turn, pay very little each year to the municipalities.

Ms. Arguedas referred to the secondary market as a black market, but the activity of renting liquor licenses is legal. She correctly noted that there are some persons in the country who own licenses, rent them and live well on the proceeds.

At the same time, the municipalities frequently only get a few thousand colons a year in license renewals.

However, sale tax is collected on the liquor transactions.