Government Reconsiders Taxing Belizean Artists

Strong protest from the creative sector has prompted the Briceño administration to reconsider its stance on implementing a new tax regime for trade licenses.  It comes hard on the heels of Monday’s House Committee meeting where various stakeholders within the artistic community shared their concerns with respect of the Trade License Bill 2022.  Taking into consideration the delicate state of the entertainment industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, cabinet agreed to defer any fee for local entertainers while consultations continue.  Elsewhere in the recent cabinet release, a motion will be presented at the next sitting of the National Assembly for a loan of twenty-four million U.S. dollars to fund the rehabilitation of sixteen miles of road along the Philip Goldson Highway, from mile eight and a half to twenty-four and a half.