From $2,500 to $18,000: Trade Licence Fees Jump 700%

Belmopan businesses are facing sudden spikes in trade licence fees, with some reporting increases of 500 to 700%, according to UDP caretaker Khalid Belisle. He says the hikes contradict legal safeguards meant to cap increases at 10% for three years under the Trade Licence Amendment Bill.

Belisle pointed to one case where a fee he predicted “would have moved” from $2,500 to nearly $18,000. “This business house was seeing a 700% increase in what they have been paying for the past few years,” he said, calling the change unlawful under current rules.

The Trade License Amendment Bill, passed in the House but not yet ratified by the Senate, was designed to modernise how fees are calculated. It includes a provision that for three years, fees “shall not be greater or less than 10% of the annual licence fee levied on that trade before the commencement of this section.”

Business owners say the reality feels very different. One described the atmosphere as ‘more comparable to death by a thousand cuts.’

Belisle urged councils to act responsibly: “We are simply asking all councils to ensure that there’s consideration, that there is proper advisement ahead of time, so that we are not blindsiding our residents.”

The UDP is pressing municipal leaders to ease the tax burden rather than increase it, warning that sudden hikes could destabilise small businesses and livelihoods.