P.S.U. Concerned Over Tax Administration and Procedure Bill, 2019

On Monday, May twentieth, government tabled a bill for an act to establish the Belize Tax Service Department. This department is expected to facilitate the official and effective administration and collection of domestic taxes. The Belize Tax Service Department will also provide for tax procedures and civil and criminal penalties for violating tax laws. Well, the Public Service Union says it is not happy with the manner in which the government is handling the Tax Administration Modernization Program. While the P.S.U. supports the amalgamation of the General Sales Tax Department and the Income Tax Department, it says that the initiative which lacks the inclusion of the Project Steering Committee on a permanent basis is disingenuous and unacceptable. The P.S.U. goes further to state that it “rejects the proposal of the Ministry of Finance to offer the Union a seat of the Project Steering Committee on an invitation basis only.” The P.S.U. maintains that its members within the affected department deserved dedicated representation. The union is alleging that its members are being placed under undue stress and duress by being forced to retire, resign or remain in the Public Service without fully knowing how such a decision will affect their career. In fact, the P.S.U. says that it rejects a letter sent to its members by Financial Secretary Joseph Waight who reportedly gave them those options without proper consultation. The P.S.U. is also expressing concerns over correspondences reportedly sent by the officers of the Project Steering Committee to public officers within the affect departments, which purports to direct them into applying for vacant positions.  The P.S.U. says that it will not disregard or entertain the displacement of suitably qualified permanent established public officers in the affected department.