Government Says No Delay in Transition to Semi-Autonomous Tax Authority

Minister of Public Service Henry Charles Usher says that there are no delays in the process to transition the Belize Tax Services Department (BTSD) into a semi-autonomous revenue authority (SARA). Sources within the public service told Love News that the efforts were being scaled down, temporarily, due to pushback from the employees at the BTSD. During a series of meetings held with BTSD staff, major concerns were reportedly raised about the structure and effectiveness of the SARA, and the loss of years of service for long-time public officers, among other issues. When asked if the government was holding off on the transition to address the concerns, Usher said that there is no delay, but rather the process is just naturally lengthy. 

Earlier this month, the Public Service Union (PSU) sent an urgent position paper to Cabinet, calling for a suspension of the transition, citing major issues with the process in its current form. The PSU says that the proposed transition is legally flawed, lacks proper consultation, and is not supported by empirical evidence.