Panton Says Families Can No Longer Survive on $100 a Week

Opposition Leader Tracy Panton opened this morning’s budget debate with a pointed attack on government fuel taxes, arguing that nearly half of every dollar Belizeans spend at the pump goes straight into “government coffers”.

She painted a picture of a country where the cost of living has been climbing on every front, from fuel and water to electricity, groceries, rent, and business fees.

“Every Belizean is singing the same tune,” she said. “A family of four can no longer live on a hundred dollars per week.”

Panton also took aim at the Prime Minister’s budget presentation, saying it failed to address what matters most to ordinary Belizeans. “Nowhere in his speech did the PM proclaim that our Belizeans are enjoying more purchasing power,” she said.

While butane has so far been spared from additional taxes, Panton warned that relief would not last, predicting a price increase was coming and citing what she called the prime minister’s “insatiable appetite” for revenue.