By Wendy Anders

Welcome to the Latin America of contrasts. Whereas Costa Rica used to be a relatively egalitarian society, that can no longer be said, as the gap between the very rich and very poor widens each day, said researchers at the State of the Nation (Estado de la Nación) institute.

A recent list of the country top monthly retirement incomes released by the government revealed some sharp disparities.

The highest pension, going to an 80-year old named Rolando Ramírez Paniagua, is a whopping 13 million 481 thousand colones, or nearly US$25K, reported AMPrensa.com, a Costa Rican digital media.

Whereas the lowest registered public retirement pension under the Costa Rican Social Security Bureau’s (CCSS) Old Age, Disability, and Death Pension Regime (IVM) is 130,087 colones or about US$238, said AMPrensa.com.

Sandra Piszk, legislator with the National Liberation Party (PLN), criticizes this pronounced difference. She introduced four pieces of legislation in June this year to increase income equality. One that would cap public retirements at 2 million 500 thousand colones per month (roughly US$4,587) was approved, and then published in the official Legal Gazette in August, so should have taken effect already, said AMPrensa.com.

Piszk said she sent a letter to Labor Minister Carlos Alvarado Wednesday asking him to explain why the lower amounts have not gone into effect.

Costa Rica’s very poor, who fall under the non-contributory retirement regime, receive a monthly amount of 78 thousand colones. Can you imagine living in Costa Rica on US$143 a month?

Piszk added that as of March 2017, retired judges will also have their payments revised under other new legislation that aims to curb bloated and unsustainable public spending, said AMPrensa.com.