GST assaults cost of parking at the international airport
While the drop in the price of rice is good news, the ripple effect of the two and a half percent increase in General Sales Tax is being felt in just about every sector of the country. The Phillip Goldson International Airport is the latest body that has hiked fees to accommodate the twelve and a half percent tax. The parking facility which once cost three dollars and fifty cents, quietly went up by an additional fifty cents. Senior management said the fifty cent increase became mandatory as of April first, 2010. So it doesn’t matter if you’re only parking for one minute, you must now pay four dollars.
That’s a 14% increase in the cost of parking. Similarly the retail price of coke light went up 14% from $1.75 to $2. The problem is not the 2.5% tax increase, the problem is businesses that seize on a minor tax increase to make major price increases. Consumers enable this price gouging by quietly accepting that prices will always increase by shillings and dollars whenever input costs or taxes go up by pennies. Makes me wonder why we even have 1, 5, and 10 cent coins in circulation?
thats ridiculous and insane!
the low rice price is to try brain wash the people but it’s obvious belizean don’t swallow every lame trick politician nowadays try to do.
The airport is for the rich. Take the bus to Cancun and save on the tax, and the rip off ticket prices from flying out of Belize.
We all hate taxes but Bill Willits is so wrong! So how does paying Mexican Tax going to help Belize? When you ride Mexican Bus and fly out of Mexican airport you pay their high taxes and I guess this is better than supporting our own economy.
I am sure those that can fly can afford to pay an additional 50 cents to fund the parking lot at the airport.
By the way how many times per year you fly out of Belize and need the parking facility – OK once; maybe twice? Now compare that to how many times per week you eat rice. Ok now do the math and tell me if this is not an overall savings for every Belizean! You need to think Bill! The P.M. is shifting some of the tax burden to those who can better afford it and in your mind this is bad????
Most Belizeans cannot wrap their minds around the idea that taxes are necessary “evils”. They still have some left over Colonial mentality. We have grown up now and are on our own and need to learn to pay our own way. You know; kinda like when you get married and move out you parents home.
Good move PM!
the fees we pay at the bze airport goes into the the pocket of the owners of the airport therefore this is of no benefit to bze. go to cancun it is half what you would pay to fly to bze. it is not my fault that my pay check cant afford the inflated prices that the private owners of the bze airport charge thats why i also shop at walmart.
are you telling me airport pays GST on parking? a piece of pavement? you know how many people park their everyday and it really cost that much? that’s almost the price of a meal..
I agree with you BT. I went to a chiney shop in Lords Bank about a week ago wanting to buy Soda biscuit. Surprisingly, the cost for Soda Biscuit has increase from $1.00 to $2.00. When i ask the shop owner why the price was so high, she said that GST went up. I refused to pay $2 for a dollar pack of soda biscuit. This is ridiculous. There are still some vendors that are selling soft drinks at $1.75 while others have the cost at $2. We need price control to investigate this situation cause these shops are insane.
WTF!!!! CEO u sound like a UDP croney, well at least you are getting paid to talk crap. I rather spend my money in mexico and pay their small taxes than to spend here in Belize and pay the rediculous taxes the greedy UDP wants us to pay. The Belizean ecomomy will fall and the Belizean business will feel the pain by the increase in GST. So if i were you Mr. CEO, i would keep a close eye on the finances of that company you work for.
and while we’re at it, how’bout that departure fee of $36 usd to visitors….who’s pocketing dat? ok 7.5 goes to pact, and some other minor contributions to bze, but it is an obvious in your face scam. only accepting usd, charging ccards without charging commission and fees, meaning, the transaction does not go through central bank or pays taxes in bze. money stripped out of bze tourists going straight into an offshore account. Nice gig.
and latest is the duty free shop as you come into the country from an international flight…. nice one.
at customs, if you bring duty free products from a legitimate duty free shop, they want to charge taxes, but if the duty free product is from the belizean incoming duty free, then you’re good to go.
another sketchy airport concession benefitting somebody’s friend, with no contribution whatsoever to the local system. when are belizeans going to open their eyes?
GST Government Sanctioned Theft WHO’s idea was this???
Keep the $3.50 rate, if you stay longer than 2 hours charge the extra .50 for parking. They are already making money by charging the $35.00 Departure Fee. Remember, Belizeans make about $2.50 per/hr. we don’t need to nickle and dime the poor people. This is the reason crime rate is WAY UP. People will STEAL/KILL to SURVIVE.
If the government would do one term without all the corruption, Belize would be flourishing like cayman!! too much stealing and corruption in government. Nobody can tell each other what to do because they all in the same basket” crooked basket” and in the end we the consumer pays the bill!!! Belizeans need to unite and start doing like the Mennonites,”LOOKING OUT FOR EACH OTHER” and stop dragging down each other.