News 5 has learnt that plans are underway to transition the Belize Tax Services Department (BTSD) into a Semi-Autonomous Revenue Authority (SARA) by December 2025.
Members of the Public Service Union (PSU) say this move could leave over a hundred employees without jobs.
Reports of this transition first emerge in early June during an interview with President of the Belize National Teachers’ Union (BNTU) Nadia Caliz. “There is this allegation that the Belize Tax Service will become a statutory body. That is something we don’t agree with. So they will have another fight with workers, because that is something that should remain with the government,” Caliz said at the time.
News 5 has reached out to Prime Minister John Briceño for comment and will update this story when a response is received.
News of the major shake-up emerged during a meeting held on Wednesday between representatives from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of the Public Service, and BTSD leadership. We are told that the presidents of the Association of Public Service Senior Managers (APSSM) and BNTU were invited.
According to information shared with News 5, legislation to create the new statutory body has already been drafted. According to employees at the BTS, they were given three options: either resign and collect their retirement benefits (if eligible), request a transfer within the wider public service, or retire outright. They were reportedly told that those who wish to continue working with the new Authority will have to reapply for one of the 153 positions expected to be available, significantly fewer than the roughly 260 employees currently on staff.
One employee, speaking on condition of anonymity, told News 5, “Staff at the Belize Tax Service are worried, as plenty of them will be without a job come December…staff will be left without a job and currently we have 260 employees and only 153 positions will remain vacant and staff will have to reapply for those positions.”