PM Says Water Rate Increase Tough but Necessary

Your water bill will be going up in the coming year. That’s because the Public Utilities Commission has approved an increase in water rates of thirteen-point-five percent. We asked Prime Minister Briceño about the news today. He says it is tough, but the increase is unavoidable, pointing to inflation and major infrastructure projects that he says are critical for the country’s growth.

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“It’s a tough one and something that we don’t take lightly, but we have to be realistic. Inflation over the past, since 2020 or the last price increase the tariff increase the cost of goods have been going up, salaries have been going up. We’ve been doing a lot of expansions of water systems, and the only way you can do that is if we can get the revenues from the customers. On that tariff review is $130 million in capital investments. $20 million are going to be for water and sew expansions in San Pedro, Caye Caulker, or Placencia. These are our critical areas that we have to protect. They’re the ones that are attracting a lot of money into this country, so we have to be able to keep up. And so unfortunately it is necessary. I wish we did not have to do that, but I wish we have a better could get another answer.”