Leader of the Opposition rejects 25% increase in the GST
john briceño
The increase in GST was the term most referred to in today’s debate of the budget for 2010/2011. The budget was presented to the House on March fifteenth and the Prime Minister announced that the deficit would fall short of sixty-four million and that he hoped to raise sixty-one point five in new taxes measures to fill the gap. First was the Leader of the Opposition, John Briceño, to give his presentation. And like the others sitting on his side of the House, there was a resounding rejection for the twenty-five percent increase in the GST to come into effect on April first. The Government hopes to raise forty-one million through this tax, and the opposition says there was a lack of consultation to the estimates which would bring more pain to the Belizeans.
John Briceño, Leader of Opposition
“Of course we in Opposition know full well why there was no consultation by this administration. After failing once again to bring down the cost of living, after failing to keep our cities and towns clean, after failing to grasp control of the crime situation, after failing to deliver on their promise of cheaper utilities, this government could not face suffering Belizeans. They knew only too well that this time the people would not accept the same lame excuses and they know that two floods and volatility in the price of oil is no consolation for the people’s pain. And so on behalf of the quiet masses, I say that the People’s United Party unequivocally rejects the proposal by the Government for a twenty-five percent increase in GST. We reject any call for the introduction of any new tax which will result in added and undue hardships on the Belizean people. This is what I would do if we were the government, instead of quarrelling with the productive sector, I would work with them. Instead of quarrelling with the utility companies I would encourage them to find ways to work with us, to ease the burdens on those in the productive sector and the poor. We would be looking for new markets to sell our tourism product instead of creating division by making inappropriate racial comments. And we would go as far as we need to go to ease the burdens on the poor. While we have nothing against the importers of Dak pork luncheon meat, we have to note that this is a product that is high in salt and carries three kinds of sodium: sodium triphosphate, sodium ascorbate and sodium nitrite. This product also carries starch. Armor Potted meat contains six hundred and twenty milligrams of sodium, 9 grams of fat of which two point five grams is saturated fat and twenty percent of this is cholesterol. And if you don’t believe me Mr. Speaker, I have it right here so whenever they are ready I could give it to them so that they could check that what we are saying is the truth. It’s listed right here.”
Emil Arguelles, Speaker of the House
“Members of the gallery, I will ask you to preserve silence.”
John Briceño
“When you consider these products in the context of healthy living, whatever Belizeans gain today from the removal of duty and GST from these products could very well be lost tomorrow when we continue to have more of our children and young people diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension. The very ingredients I mentioned earlier add to these kinds of complications and while we are getting relief to buy these products that are making us sick, the cost of the very medicines we use to help Belizeans suffering from diabetes and hypertension will see no relief from GST. In fact, these very products will see a rise by twenty-five percent. We have to stop looking at things in isolation and see them all as a part of a bigger picture. We cannot be banging the table in approval for ten million dollars in relief when at the same time we are sucking one hundred and ten million dollars from the poor. The Prime Minister, in his budget is promising recovery now and prosperity tomorrow. For a people already, battered, broken and bruised, tomorrow’s prosperity is just too late.”
More tax burdens comming to poor doomen belizeans.who lived in poverty,and lack the basic cneeds of life and a country that is plague by corruption by both parties when they get in power.when will this abuse of power,and laws that enslave helpless belizeans??i see none comming for you bee zees!
Johnny makes a good point regarding the potted meat. However, there’s a point that both he and Mark Espat are guilty of that has been sitting sour with me for quite a while. I quote “This is what I would do if we were the government, instead of quarrelling with the productive sector, I would work with them.” Weren’t you guys just raising hell on the oil industry a few weeks ago. I smell demagogues and it makes me sick. Listen, it’s not how many people you can rally behind you by hitting their sweet spot, it’s consistency and real bona fide concern that puts people behind you. here’s to consistency from both sides.
I AGREE WITH YOU 100% JOHNNY, IT REALLY AFFECT US POOR PEOPLE WHO STRIVE TO SURVIVE DAILY FOR OUR BASIC NEED AND BILLS THAT KEEP GOING UP AND OUR SALARY THE SAME AND IF WE ASK OUR BOSSES FOR A RAISE WE GET FIRED. THEN WE MIGHT ALL HAVE TO START ROBBING AROUND TO SURVIVE.
Briceno will be our next Prime Minister U.D.P nuh ready .
MR BRICENO, THANKS FOR PUTTING THE DANGERS OF THESE FOODS WE EAT, OUT THERE AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES. I KNOW WE HAVE A LOT OF ISSUES TO DEAL WITH, BUT LIKE YOU MENTIONED, ITS ALL INTER-TWINED.
It’s not bad enough that government wants to raise the GST but look on what day they will try to pass it on…. April 1st…All fools day. It’s so ironic that the government choose that day out of any other day in the year…simply put, they are trying to take the poor for fools indeed but like the sayin goes..”dah fool di talk but dah noh fool di listen.”
I agree with Jonny too, but would like to add that if they did not screw up the country Barrow would not have started out behind the 8-ball and is now left with not much choice.
Stop wasting time with all this politicing and start dealing with the real issues. Let me give you guys a hint: start with crime reduction! I guarantee you that if you guys reduce crime significantly you are guaranteed a second term!
Johnny knows that the Belizean people are tired and are constantly being slapped around because they were the ones who started the attack on the Belizean people!
Politicians always seem to know what is wrong when they are out of office! Check it out!
Trying to gain political points. This 25% GST will only be on luxury items and can be afforded by those with high incomes. Basic food items are exempt from the GST. Mr Bricenio need to refrain from misrepresent ion. Our people have not forgotten the fiscal policies of the PUP.
Mr. Briceno is right, the Barrow administration have not lived up to any of the promises they made when they wanted to get into power. The promised everything except the sun and the moon and still Belizean people are suffering, but they dont care mr barrow knows how he will pay his bills and eat everyday so he has no concern for those who cant.
Carlton, you should leave politics behind, and focus on what matters now. It makes no sense to remember things that were… it’s people like you who encourage the government and let them think that it’s okay… take of the blindfold that you have… guess you just need to wait 2 weeks more to find out that we will be paying more for almost everything we buy…
i dont know what i’ll do i… i dont know whow to go for help now i work and i bearly make it imagine now i will have to take out my kids form school and send them to sell bread or something Ms Barrow i am sorry i voted for your Goverment but come election day Gaspar Vega will hear my mouth
Every action has a equal and opposite reaction….what the country is facing is something that had clearly started with the previous government…we just facing the consequences…PM is trying his best to reduce tax…but there is just so much that can be done with the state the country is in….reducing tax on these meat products is acceptable….this is what the poor people choose to eat despite the present tax on these products or health issues…removing the tax will thus greatly reduce their financial burden…increasing tax to the extent that they are not purchasable will be a deprivation of the free will to chose what to eat by the poor, yet the rich will still have that free will since they have money…raising tax on these products will be a slap in the poor people face….I will agree that tax should be reduce on the ‘healthy products’, but at the same time tax should not be raised on these products just to discourage people not to eat them…that is not a justifiable reason….people should not be forced eat or not eat anything despite the health issues involve…man is born with free will….trying to use health issues as an excuse to mask their heavy tax on these products is unacceptable and mere politics…mind games….the question is what will the past government used to mask all the tax they had on the other ‘healthy’ products?
Instead of the government raising taxes, they should restructure the way citizens pay taxes. If all of the working class (21% of BZ population, note that only 29% of the working class pay taxes) would pay some taxes, there would not be the need to increase 12.5%. Watch it, it would be better if the poor pay $10 in tax than go to the grocery shop and pay $15 in taxes for his necessities every time he goes to the shop. That way, the burden would be less.