Prime Minister Says Sharp Trade License Hikes May Be Premature

Prime Minister John Briceño is pushing back against reports of a substantial increase in trade license fees, particularly in Belmopan, saying the new trade license regime has not yet taken effect and sharp increases may be premature.  Speaking to reporters, the Prime Minister noted that any major spike would only be possible if the original calculations used to determine the fees were significantly off.  The Prime Minister explained that once the new system is implemented, adjustments should reflect accurate assessments and standardized calculations, not sudden, unexplained jumps. He added that if business owners are seeing figures suggesting major increases at this stage, it raises questions about whether the initial assessments were grossly inaccurate.  

John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “So what has happened is that some councils were getting ahead of themselves. And yes, in some cases, some of them wanted to have these high increases. The law does not allow you to be able to increase. I think it’s— I don’t know the exact number, but there’s only a certain percentage that you can— “

Reporter: 10% per year. But only for three years?
John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “Yes, per year. So then, no. And then you cannot just increase as much as you want. But we were looking at modernizing the whole tax system, and the licensing system. But I could assure that there’s nothing whereby you’re going to be paying 700% unless if they were charging you $10 when you’re supposed to be paying $1000. Short of that, no.”

Concerns over trade license fees have been circulating in Belmopan in recent days, with some business operators reporting sticker shock and calling for clarity from municipal authorities.  The Prime Minister says government will continue to monitor the rollout and urged businesses to seek official information as the framework is finalized.