The budget for the new financial year 2018-2019, is to be tabled in the House of Representatives on March ninth, that’s two days after the municipal elections. From what we know, the private sector was not consulted nor have other sectors, as has been the case in the past. But we do know that it […]
Still on the national budget, eagle eyes will be turned on Belmopan to see if Prime Minister Dean Barrow and his government have been able to live up to the promises made not only to Belizeans, but also to international stakeholders, to maintain a reasonable standard fiscally while following through on keeping the cost of […]
Senator Lizarraga went on to address another key area of concern in the Budget: what will be allocated to addressing the root causes of crime such as joblessness and lack of opportunities? Education and Finance typically dominate the budget pie, with much of that given over to salaries. The Government will also be mindful of […]
Information to our newsroom is that the supply of diesel fuel is running very low. In fact going into the weekend, gas stations are receiving only a limited amount and in some cases, they are rationed to a thousand gallons, which is less than the demand in normal circumstances. Diesel is sourced from PUMA and […]
Business at the Commercial Free Zone continues to be affected by Mexican consumers purchasing goods and services in their homeland, instead of shopping in Belize. The exclusive business location was established in Corozal in 1994 to attract foreign direct investment. While it has grown considerably over the past two decades, companies operating within the zone […]
According to Juarez, there are instances where prices on the shelves at the free zone aren’t as eye-catching as they are across the border. While he could not provide an exact number in terms of closures, Juarez told News Five today that a partial scope trade agreement is in the works between Belize and Mexico. […]
What was once whispered about has now, in some quarters, been stated openly: no money, no vote! With municipal elections two weeks away, it is open season for vote-buying or trading favors of any kind is very much. But there is a message from the business community through Senator Mark Lizarraga tonight: the monies spent […]
While with the Deputy Prime Minister today, he was asked about a report that his ministry will be spending two point one-three million dollars on school fees for selected persons identified by U.D.P. campaigners. Faber refuted the claim, stating that the coffers are dry, but confirmed that there is money that hasn’t been spent in […]
Scotiabank is closing two of its branches. In a release issued today, the Bank says that it will be closing the Spanish Lookout Branch effective April twentieth and the Placencia Branch will be shutting down effective June twenty-second of this year. The rather vague release, without giving specific details on the closures, says, “Like any […]
There was no meeting of the House of Representatives today in Belmopan. One had been mooted for discussing the U.H.S. matter but new litigation in the Caribbean Court of Justice has seen it put off. But a mandatory session is scheduled for March ninth, two days after the Municipal Elections, to present the General Revenue […]
A novel project that will provide sustenance as well as income to participating families kicked off today at the YMCA compound. It is named the Port Loyola Urban Gardens Greenhouse and involves families of the Jane Usher Boulevard Neighborhood. They have learnt to plant fruits and vegetables, inside a greenhouse, which they will consume as […]
The budget for the 2018 fiscal year is expected to be presented before the House of Representatives in early March, weeks before the start of a new financial calendar. The introduction of the General Revenue and Appropriation Bill, as the budget is formally known, is followed by a heated debate where parliamentarians weigh in on […]
In April of 2016, the Central Bank of Belize announced plans to liquidate four credit unions across the country. These were the Citrus Growers and Workers’ Credit Union; Mount Carmel Credit Union; Police Credit Union; and Civil Service Credit Union. Mount Carmel grabbed the most headlines at the time because of its history of embezzlement […]
This week, the Caribbean Development Bank held its annual press conference at its headquarters in Barbados. The headline is that the performance of its nineteen member countries economically in 2017 was not the best. Belize, at zero point five percent, brought up the rear and is around the regional average. But President of the Caribbean […]
Belize recorded just a half a percentage point increase in GDP in 2017, and projects about one point five percent, hampered by increases in debt. But still, the C.D.B. remains confident that Belize can juggle growing debt and slow economic growth to rebound. The key, as a presenter told reporters, is in infrastructure, both physical and […]
With elections four weeks away, all eyes are how town councils have been performing in the different municipalities. Today, News Five learnt that at least three councils are heavily indebted to the Social Security Board for unpaid contributions on behalf of staff members. According to the information provided to the Board of Directors of S.S.B., the San Ignacio […]
The Statistical Institute of Belize report for December shows both imports and exports down. Belize imported goods valued at one hundred and sixty-seven million dollars or zero point nine percent down when compared to imports in December 2016. According to the S.I.B., this drop in imports resulted from reduced purchases of light fixtures, plastic lab […]
For those still wondering if the best is yet to come going into an election year, The Economist Intelligence Unit says not quite. Its quarterly economic forecast predicts a return to form, but less than expected. Its first-quarter report says Belize continues to cope with significant internal and external pressures socially, politically and economically. While […]
Brace yourself for another increase in butane prices. That’s the official word from the government following eight days of negotiations with Liquid Petroleum Gas Importers: BWEL, Gas Tomza and Zeta Gas. As we have been reporting for days, both sides were at an impasse earlier this week after the importers were not too happy with […]
Last Friday, the price of LPG went up by seven dollars per hundred pound cylinder. While that increase kept supply of butane going, there is information of an impasse between Liquid Petroleum Gas importers and the Government. Complaints reaching our studios were that importers were selling butane to distributors at a wholesale price of one […]
On Tuesday News Five showed you firsthand the hopes and dreams of farmers in the San Carlos area of Orange Walk, who are hoping they will be able to get their crops to market without interference in the form of additional import licenses, higher taxes on fuel and poor infrastructure. But there is another issue […]
You probably grumbled a bit recently when it was announced that prices for kerosene, premium and diesel fuel and butane went up. But while most urban Belizeans get butane for their houses on average every month or so and gas up when they can, it’s a different story for farmers in the North. There, butane […]
If you plan to fill your one-hundred pound gas tank tomorrow in Belize City then plan to fork out seven dollars more than what you have been paying. It will now cost you one hundred and four dollars to fill that one hundred pound cylinder. In a release issued by the Supplies Control Unit of […]
Twenty-six-year-old Estevan Bol has turned his hobby into his full-time job. He had always been fascinated by fish, owned small fish aquariums and subsequently taught himself all there is to know about fish farming. Bol imports all kinds of fish for sale and has expanded his business to include more piscine[py-seen] related services. His hope […]
Five days into the New Year, there’s news that consumers don’t want to hear. Fuel prices are going up at midnight so hurry up to the gas station. Today, the Belize Bureau of Standards posted on its website that there will be an increase on all types of fuel, except for regular gasoline, which will […]
