Full Speed Ahead with SARA

The transition of the Belize Tax Services Department (BTSD) into a Semi-Autonomous Revenue Authority (SARA) faced resistance when the Public Service Union (PSU) requested a suspension after citing legal flaws and insufficient consultation.

Minister of Public Service Henry Usher assured in August 2025 that, despite strong opposition, the transition is proceeding as expected and is simply a lengthy process.

Prime Minister John Briceño confirmed there is “no suspension” but rather a need for a stronger “educational campaign.”

“Basically, all we’re doing is moving the BTS into a semi-autonomous organisation. We have looked at what has happened in the Caribbean, in Guyana, Trinidad, and Jamaica; those are the three main countries that we studied. And it pointed out that for those that went into a full autonomous organisation, it did not work, so they had to pull it back and fix it,” Briceño said.

He reiterated that the semi-autonomous model will still “report to the Ministry of Finance, and as the minister of finance, I am still fully responsible for them.”

Briceño maintains that establishing the tax department as a semi-autonomous body will allow it to deliver improved services to Belizean taxpayers.

The SARA transition, approved by Cabinet in October 2022, began in October 2024 and is expected to continue through June 2026. The reform, part of Belize’s broader tax modernisation strategy, includes digital systems like the IRIS Belize Portal and a new revenue management system funded by the IDB.