Said Musa Says Tax Grab Covers Up U.D.P. Deficiency

Said Musa

Later, former Prime Minister Said Musa went after the Government’s estimation of the economy. Scorning the charge that the economy was “on the rebound,” he noted that Government hoped to cover up the holes in the budget by applying the pressure of more taxes, including the addition of the General Sales Tax to data services which affects everyone from kids to senior citizens in the information age.

Said Musa, Area Rep., Fort George

“By the Prime Minister’s own admission, there was a contraction of the economy in 2016. 2017 was hardly better, despite the lavish spending by the Government on public sector infrastructure projects. In other words, the whole economy was driven by Government spending, hardly any private sector investment. The growth in the economy was zero point five percent, that’s half of one percent of growth, and then I hear the member for Belmopan talking about the economy is on the rebound? If that’s a rebound that sounds more like basketball to me, that kind of rebound, certainly it’s not an economic rebound – half of one percent. The fact of the matter is, Madam Speaker, the tax-addicted U.D.P. government is squeezing more taxes out of already overburdened taxpayers. Now they are taxing the Internet, data services, BPO’s, and as the Honorable Member for Freetown pointed out, they are taxing the use of your Facebook. They are taxing now the use of your email. They are taxing now every time you use that i-Phone or whatever phone you have, they are taxing it, yes. That is what is happening, and that is not only affecting just a few privileged Belizeans who can afford a phone. Most Belizeans today, right down to the four year old, have a phone.”

We’ll have more on the Budget Debate coming up later in the newscast.