Steep Customs Costs Overshadow Simple Birthday Card

A Placencia resident is raising concerns after being asked to pay more than two hundred Belize dollars in customs clearance fees to retrieve what he says is a simple birthday card sent by his elderly mother in the United States. According to the man, the card was shipped through FedEx at a cost of nearly three hundred U.S. dollars to ensure it arrived on time, but additional Customs clearance fees of over one hundred U.S. dollars were later demanded. He described the charge as excessive, noting that the item was just a little card in an envelope, and expressed frustration over the possibility of daily storage fees if left unclaimed. He spoke with us over the phone and asked to remain anonymous.

 

On the Phone: Shipping Customer

“Every year my other usually sends me a card and she always sends it through Fedex because it is a special day and she wants to make sure I receive the card. So, I received the message last week that the card had arrived and it was at Customs where it came through. Usually, I get the card direct to Placencia and I go to Tropic and pick it up with no fuss. This time they sent this letter saying I need to clear up the Custom fees at a hundred and three dollars and nineteen cents U.S. and it is just for a birthday card and envelope. My mother already paid three hundred dollars through Fedex to get it here. Now Customs wants me to pay two hundred and ten dollars Belize for just a birthday card. And then Fedex responded to me saying it has nothing to do with them and it is Customs themselves.”

 

The package was reportedly later cleared for release, then pulled back by the Customs Department pending further investigation. While officials have since indicated that the matter has been resolved and the fee has been significantly reduced, questions remain about how and why such high fees were initially applied for a simple greeting card.

 

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.

 

Watch the full newscast here: