Head tax deal is far from done

There has been no reaction from the Belize City Council to government’s offer to divert one U.S. dollar of the seven dollar head tax on cruise passengers to that municipal body. The reason, according to United Democratic Party Leader Dean Barrow, is that two days after the Cabinet made the decision, it has still not been officially communicated to the council. Speaking to News Five this afternoon, Barrow also pointed out that there are a number of important loose ends to be tied up. One is the question of hundreds of thousands of dollars in arrears claimed from the original–and now defunct–memorandum of understanding. Another is the legality of changing PACT’s share of the head tax. Under the law, PACT receives twenty percent of the tax–a dollar forty U.S.–but it must be specifically used for conservation. To change its share would require legislation that cannot be enacted prior to the February first target date set by Cabinet. And finally, says Barrow, is the issue of the Fort Street Tourism Village’s thirty-three cent contribution. That company is involved in many ongoing disputes with government and one is not really sure where this particular transaction fits into the mix. So is the ruckus over the head tax finished? The present period of quiet may prove to be only a lull in the fighting.