Cabinet Considers Free Zone Access for Belizeans

With the cost of living continuing to weigh heavily on Belizeans, the Briceño administration is facing mounting questions about concrete steps that are being taken to ease the burden. Inflation continues to rise and in the coming year, water and electricity rates will as well. The Prime Minister has established a special sub-committee to look at measures they can take to ease the burden on Belizeans; however, he says there’s no quick fix. We asked what the committee has in store for struggling Belizeans and PM Briceno pointed to a range of initiatives, from food programs and scholarships to targeted tax relief. He says Cabinet is even considering opening the Corozal Free Zone for Belizeans to shop this Tuesday because every effort makes a difference, especially during the holiday season.

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“You need to give us some time to be able to sit and try to see what we can work out. Right now everybody is really – well Christmas is upon us so it will – I think it would be unfair to believe that we already have an answer. But let me be frank with you all; there’s no magic wand. What we have been doing, we’ve been doing lot of different things that can help the cost of living. GST weekend, free weekends for instance. That, that twelve and a half percent that people save. Hat helps the cost of living. Let me tell you in Cabinet we just agree to maybe next week Tuesday to allow Belizeans to be able to go to the free zone to buy.  No liquor and no cigarettes. Just clothing and that kind of stuff. Again, that helps. Scholarships that helps. The food and feeding program for children that helps. NHI that helps. NHI is already over twenty thousand visits per month already. So all of these things, when you put it together, it’s helping. You could imagine if we weren’t doing all of that, how much more difficult it’ll be for people. So it’s unfair when you try to make these allegations as if we’re not concerned and we’re not doing anything. We’re doing a lot of different things. Minimum wage when it went up to five dollars, that help significantly. So, I believe that we have a proud record when it comes to saying that we are doing something. And listen, we recognize that challenge. Unlike other Prime Minister, I’m on the ground every day. I don’t stay in an office. I walk the streets. I visit here. This afternoon I’ll be at the inauguration of the minsa plant in Cayo, and there I talk to people. So we’re aware of the difficulties we’re facing. We’re facing it as a country, as a nation. Lot of contracts that we give when they come back, say price up because the price goes up because goods have gone up or materials have gone up as much as we hate it, but it’s a sad reality.”