SARA’s Future Uncertain As Talks Go Quiet

The government once discussed creating a Semi-Autonomous Revenue Authority as a major reform of Belize’s revenue collection system. But months of silence have left the future of SARA uncertain. Public Service Union President Dean Flowers says the Briceño administration has stopped engaging the union on the proposal, leaving the PSU with no clear indication of whether the process has stalled, changed direction or moved ahead without its input. Flowers says that, at this point, even he does not know where the proposed authority stands.

 

Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union

“As I would have documented, I believe in my last publicized letter to GOB, there has only been three meetings. One in December 2025 when we declared a trade dispute back in November. There has been one meeting in February when the labor commissioner brought us to the table to withdraw that trade dispute and ensure that dialogue prevails and nothing has been done. Then they brought us to the table in April to review the terms of reference for a post project steering committee. We have not spoken to the government with reference to SARA. We have not spoken to the Tax Department in reference to SARA. WE have not spoken to the ministry of finance. There has been absolutely no conversation with the union as the legally recognized bargaining agent for public sector workers at in the BTSD with reference to SARA. So any attempt to say there has been dialogue is untruth and needs to be put out there. So where we are with SARA, I am clueless.”

 

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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