Businesswoman gets prison time for unpaid Income Tax
Loretta Palacio
A well-known Belize City businesswoman will spend the next six weeks behind bars at the Belize Central Prison. When the Income Tax Department ran its ad campaign warning that non-payment would result in jail time, it wasn’t kidding, and now Loretta Palacio of Total Business Solutions has found that out the hard way. Palacio was sentenced to six weeks on the strength of four committal warrants for non-payment of a total of one hundred and fifteen thousand dollars, an amount which has reportedly accrued since October thirtieth, 2012. News Five understands that Palacio failed to make payment as ordered by the court, and so a distress warrant was issued for her immediate arrest. Palacio was taken away in cuffs today, and it is important to note that even after she serves her sentence she will still owe that money to government for outstanding income tax.
When will the Indian and China business go to jail?
VERY GOOD!! This is where a lot of Revenue should come from and we clearly see that the seriousness has been ignored. Im happy the GOB is stepping up their pressure on people trying to cheat their way out. PAY UP guys!! Lets all pay our dues and get rid of the SUPERBOND that the PUP has cursed us with
This should be applied to the Gov’t ministers and cronies who don’t pay their taxes as well….
They should take her assets and freeze her bank account. Not to be mean to her, but when someone pays their taxes it pays for the public servants salary,and upgrades to the community in which one reside. She would be making arrangements and paying is she had lived in the U,S., since Belize try to mimic the US so much then take her stuff from her even her home, you can’t owe the IRS in the US and get away with it. I am not pro tax but there is not a darn thing I can do about it but pay my portion as I understand why we pay taxes. This lady and others like her want to have their cake and eat it the same time.
I guess Loretta Palacio isn’t one of those belizeans that they can solicit money from as a result they’ve got a problem with her.
how come the burger man walked away owing a million with no jail time. oh he was once a UDP ambassador
That’s interesting. I wonder what kind of revenue her business brings in to be owing so much taxes and from what period of time. Are those calculation correct ??
I wonder what kind of revenue her business is generating to be owing so much in taxes. Are those figures accurate ?? from when to when ??? That’s a hell of a lot to be owing without payment arrangements.
One hundred and fifteen thousand dollars.
One of our many corrupt government ministers must need a new luxury vehicle to replace the one that is already 1 year old.
The income tax department is a cash cow for the employees working there.
They steal your payments and hope you lose your receipts. You pay again while they have spent your hard earned money on Cocaine, Alcohol, Prostitutes and living large.
Save your receipts people.
Things in Belize is very haaaad. Most (repeat most) successful business make it good because they have outside businesses to subsidize or have very shady deals. I empathize with any 100% Belizean family business that tries to make an honest living. We know no one is perfect, and mistakes can and will be made. But when you see someone really trying to keep a business of integrity afloat, mein I’d think we’d try to be more supportive, especially one that contributes to community development and other social causes. Keep your head up Ms. Loretta!
It’s a start, but these tax laws must be applied EVENLY AND IMPARTIALLY.
So let’s see how GOB goes after other scofflaw businesses, even those owned by ministers and district reps and their friends and families. WE WILL NEED MORE JAIL CELLS, BUT THEY CAN BUILD THEM WITH THE TAX MONEY THEY WILL COLLECT.
There is a big scandal in the USA right now, where their tax collectors targeted political opponents of the Obama regime. That is a real threat to democracy, using the force of the regime to punish political opposition — let’s make sure that sin doesn’t erupt here any more than already exists,
Belize has now sank to a new low! Just when you taught it couldn’t any worst but this is no surprise from an abusive, malicious and vindictive and vision less govt under dean barrow. COMMITAL WARRANTS has been on the increase recently in these difficult economic timesand this ABUSE of Authority HAS GOT TO STOP!!! The law is NOT TO PUNISH those that are UNABLE TO PAY it was designed to TO FORCE those who CAN PAY AND WILLFULLY REFUSE TO DO SO AND SHOULD ONLY BE APPLIED AS A LAST RESORT.Shame on you DEAN BARROW!!! this policy WILL NOT DEVELOP BELIZE THIS APPROACH WILL NOT CREATE ANY NEW EMPLOYMENT OR ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY. Struggling Belize an business owners NEED HELP NOT JAIL!! Dean Barrow approach will turn Belize into a FAILED STATE and the whole country into a GHETTO!!! JAIL IS FOR CRIMINALS!! NOT FOR STRUGGLING BUSINESS OWNERS UNABLE TO PAY THEIR BILLS!!! This is just another example of Dean Barrow Lack of VISION AND INCOMPETENCE Along with a mean spirited and VINDICTIVE approach .Even when in Power they act as if they are in opposition attacking everyone and everything! GROW AND DEVELOP BELIZE MR BARROW!!! ANY JACK ASS CAN KICK DOWN A BARN BUT IT TAKES A CARPENTER TO BUILD ONE!!!
Cow know where weak fence is. This is my cousin we are talking about. You hardly have any Belizean owned business in this country we call Belize. The Government can pay gang members, afford to burn Rosewood, damage Maya Ruin, thief our land but they can’t afford to see a RARE Belizean Business WOMAN have her freedom and dignity. It is not an easy ball game to afford running a business in Belize I can attest to that as I am the owner of,”Puzzle Belize'” when you don’t have the capital like Chinese and Lebanese. Never in Belize history I hear such thing happening but with this government they are leaving no stone unturned in molesting everything valuable.
This cant be income tax inna one year. Did the reporters get it wrong and maybe they meant GST? If this lady owe so much income tax please tell me what kinda business she inna. Well di law is di law and same way i haftu pay my taxes i expect everybody else fu pay too. If she innocent the belize gat plenty lawyers for her to sue govt and clear her name.
Y her??!! I’m sure there are many more people, including Govt Officials who owe more and are extremely CROOKED N CORRUPTED… They have NOT been sentenced n their actions go unnoticed!!! I’m left with no choice but to pull the RACE CARD!!! Moreover , BELIZE GOVT DAH LONE MADA!@$$!!!!