The Prime Minister also spoke on carbon credits during his presentation in the House. For context, in October of 2020, the Barrow administration and The Nature Conservancy entered into an agreement to promote the long-term protection and conservation of the natural assets of Belize, including the flora and fauna. It is an idea that the […]
The Government of Belize will establish the Tax Debt Operation Unit with a focus on collecting outstanding taxes, but first strengthening prosecution against tax offenses. An amendment was passed in the House today to give the Director of Public Prosecution authority to prosecute tax offenses. It also allows the unit to publish the names of […]
A bill was passed today in the House to exempt public officers and teachers from certain stamp duties. According to Prime Minister Briceño, this bill is being passed in fulfillment of an agreement made with the joint unions while in negotiations over the ten percent pay cut. Prime Minister John Briceño “It is simply […]
A bill for an act to provide for the regulation of security business and activities in Belize was presented in the House today. The bill, according to PM Briceño, will provide the regulatory framework for the establishment of a capital market in Belize. For those who may be unaware, a capital market is where buyers […]
On Tuesday, Cabinet also asked that the Minister of Agriculture, Food Security, and Enterprise instruct the Bureau of Standards to investigate reports of price gouging at stores across Belize. As we reported previously, while some of these price hikes may be a result of international factors, on Monday, Prime Minister John Briceño told the hosts […]
Earlier in the newscast, you heard the story of a petition signed by stakeholders in the dining and entertainment industry. In our last episode of the COVID Chronicles, we highlight the many entrepreneurs and diverse businesses that were birthed out of the pandemic. Tonight, we look at the flip side of things as well-established businesses […]
One of the hot topics that Prime Minister Briceño also touched on this morning was the high cost of living. So while the economy has been rebounding faster than the IMF had predicted it would, the cost of living is also going up. PM Briceño said the current rate of inflation that we’re experiencing is […]
Switching hats from attorney to former party leader, Dean Barrow lamented the current state of the United Democratic Party. He expressed strong feelings over the current division within the party that has led to the naming of two leaders, Shyne Barrow and Patrick Faber. The former party leader says as long as the division persists, […]
While on Open Your Eyes, Prime Minister Briceño also commented on the difficult decision to cut nurses pay alongside other public officers. Prime Minister John Briceño “Now we have a better understanding of how COVID operates now, we could work fairly safely. Most of them have already gotten vaccinated. But, you could imagine April, […]
The Statistical Institute of Belize is reporting that Belize’s economy is bouncing back. After a record low second quarter in 2020, GDP for 2021’s second quarter has seen a twenty-two percent increase. The figures reported are not back to pre-COVID numbers, and S.I.B. is unable to say at this time whether this growth will continue […]
On the other hand, prices for goods and services have actually seen an increase over the last seven months, when compared to the same time period last year. Belizeans are paying more for transportation, food, housing and personal care, according to S.I.B. Melvin Perez, Statistician II, S.I.B. “The cumulative inflation rate for the first […]
On external trade, imports are up by nearly fifty percent, while exports are up by twelve percent. Here the details on those numbers. Tiffany Vasquez, Statistician II, S.I.B. “For the period January to July of 2021, Belize’s imports were valued at one point one billion dollars. This was a significant twenty-two percent growth, or […]
On Thursday, the Ministry of Finance introduced its plan for an Investment Summit to be held in San Pedro on November third and fourth. The summit will seek to attract foreign direct investment. And one of the serious policy measures that is being added to complement the ones that already exist is the National Investment […]
On Tuesday evening, C.E.O. in the Ministry of Economic Development, Doctor Osmond Martinez indicated on News Five how well Belize’s economy has started to rebound while still facing a pandemic that continues to impact more people daily. But while Belize has done even better than what the IMF prescription had called for and projected, Belize […]
And while the media had him engaged, they asked Minister Coye for an update on the status of the negotiations on the proposed repayment structure for the Superbond, as Belize hopes to be able to convince the representatives of the bondholders to agree to a thirty percent reduction on the payment installments. As has been […]
And still on the topic of economics, Minister Coye explained after the official ceremony outlining the scope of the Summit that there have been some delays in realizing the goals of an amendment to the Central Bank Act 67(1). That amendment allows for the Central Bank to establish emergency programs or facilities through other banks […]
Last night we brought you details of the Monday morning session of the Commission of Inquiry into the sale of a number of government vehicles at the end of the U.D.P. administration. The afternoon session continued in much the same way with witnesses explaining how they located and bid on vehicles, and the status of […]
Officials from several ministries, the Development Finance Corporation and the Central Bank of Belize as well as stakeholders in academia, will meet on Friday to put forth an outline for how to boost economic development in Belize. News Five spoke with C.E.O. in the Ministry of Economic Development, Doctor Osmond Martinez about the range of […]
Officials from several ministries, the Development Finance Corporation and the Central Bank of Belize as well as stakeholders in academia, will meet on Friday to put forth an outline for how to boost economic development in Belize. News Five spoke with C.E.O. in the Ministry of Economic Development, Doctor Osmond Martinez about the range of […]
The Christian Workers Union is accusing the Labor Department of breaking a commitment to continue mediation with the Port of Belize limited. Today during a press conference at union headquarters in Belize City, the union said that after the C.W.U. submitted its notice of intended strike action against P.B.L. in mid July, the Labor Department […]
The Christian Workers Union has also pulled out an agreement signed between the Government of Belize and the Port of Belize Limited back in 2005. C.W.U. alleges the agreement has been kept under wraps and that members had to do some serious investigative work to unearth it. The agreement, signed one year before the 2006 […]
According to C.W.U. President Hyde, stevedores have lost about one hundred and eighty six thousand dollars in income since B.S.I.’s move to Big Creek Port. Hyde took a jab at the sugar company, saying they should share their environmental clearance documentation for their Big Creek Port development. Mose Hyde, President, CWU “I am rather […]
Also at the press conference today were statements by stevedores themselves, as the ones on the ground absorbing the financial blow of B.S.I.’s move to the Big Creek Port. They describe their decision to engage in a go-slow on the sugar barge as a “sacrifice.” And while it resulted in financial losses, they say the […]
Earlier in the newscast, we spoke with Mayor Bernard Wagner about his return to work and the COVID cases at City Hall. We also asked him about the impact of the pandemic on Belize City revenues. Bernard Wagner, Belize City Mayor “In 2020, we collected two point three million dollars in property taxes, and […]
The mayor is advising residents that City Hall can’t continue to foot the expense of garbage collection without the residents contributing to that bill. Bernard Wagner, Belize City Mayor “At some point in time in the very near future the discussion of garbage fee, residential garbage fee will have to be put at the […]
