Former D.P.P. detained at P.G.I.A. for tax paper

He bid Belize goodbye earlier this week but it seems law enforcement officials were determined to keep Kirk Anderson in Belize as long as possible. According to our sources, around noon today, the former Director of Public Prosecutions was about to get on an American Airlines flight but apparently when he got to the counter at Immigration, he could not present a tax clearance certificate. That’s the small white paper that proves you don’t owe the Government of Belize any taxes. Following Anderson’s announcement on Wednesday that he was leaving Belize to take up partnership at a Jamaican law firm, we’re guessing officials wanted to make sure the attorney didn’t owe any back taxes. So while they checked his records, Anderson was detained in the VIP Lounge and missed his flight. Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax Marilyn Ordonez told News Five that the matter was eventually cleared up this afternoon after he paid twenty-eight thousand dollars to the government. He was later given his clearance to leave the country. We understand he caught the forty-thirty Continental flight this evening bound for Houston. Ordonez says that all Belizeans should go to the Income Tax Office before departing the country to check if they have an outstanding balance with the department. If there is, it needs to be settled immediately or the taxpayer can petition for a year’s clearance… but that’s only if you can produce a guarantor to your debt.