TNC Says Land Tax Waiver is Common-Place for Non-Profits!

Julie Robinson

This Maya Forest that Robinson speaks of forms part of the parcel of lands that Minister Henry Usher raised concern about at the budget debate on Friday. You’ll recall Usher said that just weeks before the elections, G.O.B. signed an agreement with The Nature Conservancy to waive their land taxes for fifty years on two hundred and sixty thousand acres of land.  Today, when we spoke with Robinson, we asked her clarify that agreement to which she said there was nothing shady – it is a standard tax waiver extended to non-profits like The Nature Conservancy who has been working in Belize for thirty years.

Julie Robinson, Program Director, The Nature Conservancy

“The two hundred and thirty-six thousand is part of that two sixty. The two sixty is that we are expecting another donation of property that would then equal the two sixty thousand acres. So, yes it is the same property.”

Andrea Polanco

“Are you able to share with us, how did that agreement come about with the government?”

Julie Robinson

“Well, I think it is really important for the public to understand that these agreements are commonplace. We are a non-profit which means that what we are doing is not for the gain of the organization. It is really to help protect areas that will benefit people and the government. So, for that reason, non-profits are able to get these waivers because what that means then is that more funds go back into the protection of sites, in creating jobs and being able to protect those ecosystem services. I can tell you that next door, for example, like I mentioned the Rio Bravo conservation management area, this is something that programme for Belize has in place as well. They have had it for over thirty years so this is nothing new; nothing different and it is something that occurs all over the world for non-profits and it happens here in Belize. It is because of the type of organization that we are, that is one of the reasons why we are able to secure those types of waivers.  In addition to that, though, what I do want to mention is that while there is that waiver I think we really should take into consider the amount of funds that we will put back into the economy for the protection of this property that goes way beyond any waiver; the creation of jobs , for example, the amount of work that will go into that, as well as just protecting and keeping healthy soils, clean water, fresh air – these are things that have a value to the country and the whole region.”