Yhony Rosado Says It Is Pure Political Victimization

Yhony Rosado Sr.

Rosado told us this afternoon that he will stay closed until he gets his trade license, whenever that is. He’ll do it, but he’s not happy about the situation and says that while foreigners can access all the services of G.O.B. with the greatest of ease, Belizeans are treated like second and third-rate citizens in their own country.

Yhony Rosado Sr., Business Closed Down

“You can see obviously it is just pure malicious, stink U.D.P. hand. There were probably good U.D.P. s probably one or two—ten percent—but there are ninety of them dirty. They just want to close you down in a dirty way and as you can see, I close it down. How can a government be so stupid to close down a business to punish a family? We gonna close a business until they give me a trade license, which is ridiculous because they know they are ready to collect taxes. When I buy a container of tires, I pay eighty to ninety thousand dollars, five thousand goes to environmental tax and all the thousands go to import duty. It only cost twenty thousand for the actual tires and I end up paying ninety thousand. All of it is pure transport and duties and customs. So I am doing a business for the country and the government. So for them to shut down a business is very stupid.”

Mike Rudon

“So you are saying what you will do is just go through the process, try get your license and just shut down the business meanwhile?”

Yhony Rosado Sr.

“Well as you can see, City Council think we stupid. They think we’re gonna have our business open even though they say they close it. If they close it, we are obedient to them. See, we are ignorant, but not to the law. We are ignorant to the things that they do to us. My son is young and I told my son do whatever they tell you and what did they tell you? Close it down. So we closed it down. We are going to wait to see City Council drag its foot again for the trade license. I am pretty sure and I am sorry for the Chinese people; I’m sorry for the Asian community, but I could see shops popping up overnight and some lee Belizean shop…I’ve been operating for a couple of months now and can’t get a trade license.”