Parties wait for P.M.’s decision on border fees

In an update to the situation at the Western border over new charges to truckers and importers, this morning representatives of the Border Management Agency, the Chamber of Commerce, the freight operators, and officials from the Ministry of Tourism met at the Chamber’s Belize City office. Word out of the meeting is that the points discussed today have been forwarded to the Prime Minister who will make a final determination on the matter. According to an official at the Chamber of Commerce, all sides have agreed to not speak to the media until the Government decides how to proceed. Commercial traffic came to standstill at the Western border last week when truckers and importers refused to pay several fees imposed by the B.M.A. earlier this month. The operators argue that the charges cannot be justified by the services offered at the facility. In a minor correction to our story on Tuesday, we reported that Yasin Shoman was Chairman of B.M.A. He is in fact a board member but attorney Andrew Marshallek is Chair.