Doing Business in Colombia
"Doing Business in Colombia 2008" measures the ways in which government regulations enhance or restrain business activity at the sub-national level. The report compares 13 Colombian cities and provinces ("departments") with each other and with 178 countries around the world. Five Doing Business topics are covered: starting a business, registering property, paying taxes, trading across borders, and enforcing contracts. These indicators have been selected because they cover areas of local jurisdiction or practice. |
 |
Main findings:
- Colombian cities ranked well, by global standards, on the time it takes to register property. Manizales, the city with the fastest time to register property (20 days), ranks 33rd when compared with Doing Business global rankings of 178 economies.
- When compared with global results, the performance is weaker on the number of administrative procedures. On average, starting a business takes 14 procedures, versus an average of 10 across Latin America.
- There is a high tax burden on businesses in Colombia, requiring a large number of payments and taking excessive time for tax compliance. Popayán, ranked first in Colombia, would rank 131 out 178 economies worldwide.
- There are variations in the time and cost to import and export, based on port procedures and inland transportation. Importing and exporting are relatively fast in Santa Marta and slower in Villavicencio.
- There are big differences in the time it takes to enforce contracts in Colombia. A simple commercial dispute can be resolved in 14 months in Villavicencio and Pereira, compared to four years in Bogotá and Barranquilla.
Doing Business in Colombia report: English (