Panton Puts Cost‑of‑Living Crisis Front and Center

The budget debate opened with fire this morning as Opposition Leader Tracy Panton wasted no time going after the heart of what she says is squeezing Belizeans the hardest, the price at the pumps. Instead of focusing on numbers and projections, Panton framed her opening salvo around the everyday reality of families who can’t stretch their dollars far enough. She argued that sky‑high fuel prices aren’t just global pressure points, they’re the direct result of what she calls a heavy government tax load on every gallon. And she says that burden keeps chipping away at purchasing power at a time when Belizeans are already struggling to cover the basics. By steering the debate straight to kitchen‑table issues, Panton set a tone that puts cost of living, not just the budget book, front and center.

 

Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition

“In the last few months, everything, from fuel at the pumps, to water rates, to electricity rates, to grocery items, to rent expenses, to property and trade license fees, have all seen increases. As it is now, forty-one percent of every dollar spent on the price per gallon for regular fuel and forty-six percent on premium prices go directly into the government’s coffers from revenue replacement tax, import duties, excise tax, environmental tax and GST. While liquid petroleum stocks, better known as butane, are now spared, until today, from PM’s insatiable appetite. It is only a matter of time, today, that the cost of butane, will be increase and touted as necessary due to unpredictable global developments.”

 

Panton Slams PM’s 2026 Budget as Prosperity Pitch

 

Panton didn’t hold back today. She blasted Prime Minister Briceño’s “budgeting for prosperity” pitch, calling it out of touch as fuel prices keep soaring and Belizeans feel the squeeze. She warned that global tensions will keep shaking up oil markets, and Belizeans are already feeling that fallout every time they pull up to the pump. According to Panton, families are tightening their belts long before any of the prosperity the Briceño administration is promising ever reaches them.

 

Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition

“Madam Speaker, we recognize that Belize’s economy is influenced by global events. This administration seemed to have believed that ignoring the global political changes would have somehow insulated us from their inevitable effects. In other words, Madam Speaker, this is incredulous. The Prime Minister’s budget figures are inapt and out of touch for the times we are living in, even before these budget estimates were delivered. Rising tensions in the middle east and ongoing war in Iran has caused volatility in the oil markets. For Belize, fluctuation in oil prices translates quickly, well before a new shipment arrives in port. We are seeing new pressures coming to bear.”

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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