BUSINESS & ECONOMICS |
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS |
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Beautifully appointed suites with desk, safe, 3 direct-dial telephones, bar and kitchenette with fully equipped pantry in each room.
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Monday, April 30, 2001 Online Edition 17 |
Economically
active population grew According
to recent Central Bank figures, the economically active population of
Honduras grew from 1,463,267 to 2,226,643 people during the last decade,
with an annual average increase of 4.8 percent.
However, the Gross National Product for the same period equaled 33.5
percent, or 3 percent a year, less than the growth of the economically
active population. Agriculture
continues to be the biggest employer, especially in rural areas, providing
165,179 new jobs from the 687,884 in 1990.
The industrial sector grew 50.4 percent and is attributed to the
expansion of the maquila industry.
Commercial activities experienced a 71.1 percent increase, attributed
to the swell in the informal economy. Construction
activities experienced the greatest increase at 106.2 percent, due largely
to the fact that this sector used large numbers of unskilled labor. - El Heraldo Lps.
42M spent on roads in tourist areas As
part of the National Reconstruction Plan, the government has announced the
expenditure of Lps. 42 million for the reconstruction of 45 km of secondary
roads and two bridges. Of the
45 km, 22.07 km of the La Ceiba-Yaruca road and 9.7 km between Toncontin and
Urraco have already been completed. Currently
under construction are 16 km between Jutiapa and Balfate and two bridges. Authorities
stated that the repair of these roads is expected to boast tourism on the
North Coast, as well as benefit local agricultural producers. - La Tribuna 3.1%
inflation in first quarter Central
Bank President Victoria Asfura confirmed this week that inflation reached
3.1 percent during the first quarter of this year, up one percent over the
same period last year. At
the same time, Asfura reiterated that conditions currently do not exist to
dollarize the Honduran economy. She
said that although Hondurans shouldn't fear dollarization, it would not
solve all Honduras' problems either. -
La Tribuna |
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Monday, April 2, 2001 Online Edition 14 |
El Salvador, Nicaragua refuse to return stolen cars The director of Special Investigations, Marcelo Aguilera Aguilar, this
week said some Central American Countries, mainly El Salvador and Nicaragua,
are not complying with a 1995 agreement to return stolen vehicles to their
rightful owners. Aguilera stated that at the moment, El Salvador is in possession of 74
cars that insurance companies have made every attempt to recover.
However, El Salvador, as well as Nicaragua, protect persons who buy
stolen vehicles in good faith. He
also said there have been cases where the person possessing the stolen car
has requested exorbitant amounts of money to return the vehicle. – La
Tribuna US$240 million EU aid package The commissioner of the European Union's organization for development
and humanitarian aid, Poul Nielson, arrived in Tegucigalpa on Wednesday to
discuss with government authorities the distribution of a US$240 million aid
package. Honduras will receive
the funds over the course of the next five years.
Approximately US$119 million will be assigned to the post-Mitch
reconstruction program. – La Tribuna Income tax deadline extended On Tuesday the National Congress voted to extend the deadline for paying
income taxes from March 31 to April 21.
Although the government has lowered the rate from 42 percent to 25
percent for businesses, many companies continue to be delinquent in the
payment of their taxes this year. – La Tribuna |
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