Starting on January 2018, the government plans to tax drivers for contaminants emitted by their vehicles.
The vehicles would go through a technical review to determine the fee in relation to emission levels.
In the next two months, the government will establish the fee scale to apply to contamination categories. Afterwards the proposal be open to public consultation, and is expected to become official before the end of year.
The new tax would collect $30 million per year that will be used for urban transportation projects.
The measure seeks to discourage people from using private vehicles and increase use of public transportation, according to the deputy ministry of Transportation, Sebastián Urbina.
Air in San José carries harmful particles, at concentrations above the limits recommended by the World Health Organization, according to a 2015 study.
Vehicles account for 65 percent of pollutant emissions in San José and this has a close relation with the antiquity of vehicles in Costa Rica. Older vehicles tend to pollute more.
Nationally there are 1,3 million vehicles in service and their average age is 16 years.
Source: La Nación.