Dark Days Ahead, Are They Foretold in Dismal IMF Report?

John Briceño

And of course there is the IMF report which was less that complimentary in reference to the status of the economy and G.O.B.’s performance. Briceño says he takes no pleasure in the country’s pain, but there are dark days ahead when the recommendations made by the IMF could very well be forced into play to keep the country afloat.

John Briceño, P.U.P. Leader

“There are several things that were recommended there – one is that the GST must be increased to fifteen percent and that the exemptions of the goods that don’t pay GST need to be reduced significantly. They’re also recommended that out of every five persons that stop working with the government – that are fired or retired or resign – they can only take back one person. That’s a form of retrenchment. They have said that for the next three years they can’t give any more pay raises to the public sector – to the teachers, to the Policemen and the B.D.F. and the rest of the government workers and have said that at the end of the day if the government does not do these things there will have to be some form of retrenchment. I am sure that the government or the prime Minister are trying to find a way to wriggle their way out of this, and that is why they are trying now to raid the Social Security fund. They are taking the workers’ money to be able to keep them afloat, and that is why I’m raising the alarm to all Belizeans – to all of us. We need to be concerned about what is taking place at Social Security. I need to call out the members of the Social Security Board, to tell them that they have a fiduciary responsibility to all of us, all the workers of this country – that they need to protect the fund, the monies of the people at Social Security.”