UDP Proposes Targeted Tax Relief to Ease Electricity Costs

The United Democratic Party says Belize’s ongoing electricity problems would be handled differently if it were in government.  Speaking at its press conference this morning, Opposition Leader Tracy Panton criticised the Briceño administration’s handling of the energy sector. She says Belizeans are already struggling with high living costs and should not be left to carry the full burden of rising electricity expenses and an unreliable power supply.  Panton says a UDP government would consider targeted relief measures, including exemptions from the General Sales Tax in certain cases, to ease the cost of electricity for consumers.

Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition: “The first is to remove the general sales tax from the full electricity charge for a period of 12 months. We are saying to the government 12.5% from the $296 million that BEL earned last year is about $30 million Belize dollars. Absorb, use that US 100 million, a portion of it, to give direct relief to the consuming public. We also offer that in this crisis we need to suspend the disconnections because you know if you’re a day late they’re coming for you. They’re unplugging your meter. Right now some of us the meters are being unplugged, until we can get ourselves on a sustainable trajectory. Because seriously I am a single household and my electricity bill went from a little under $200, and this month it is over $656 and I live alone. And not only that, I’m hardly at home. We spoke about also the need to commission an independent audit of what is going on. These bills that are being contested, you know, people like, we were told, you listened to the press conference provided by BEL, the executive chairman said “we could give you a payment plan.” no acknowledgement of the fact that the bills went up exponentially. And you cannot say, because based on a simple calculation, you know the 1.5 cents cannot increase the bills that exponentially. So something is wrong and we need an investigation and we need the answers. We also have recommended that that social, that we expand the threshold for the social fees.” 

The Opposition Leader says the country also needs a stronger plan to increase local electricity generation and reduce Belize’s dependence on imported power from Mexico.