Deputy Prime Minister Says Government Has to Do More  

The cost of living in Belize has been steadily rising, even as it declines in other parts of the world. While the COVID pandemic initially drove up prices on supermarket shelves, those prices have been dropping globally—just not as quickly in Belize. Today, Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde clarified that the government isn’t to blame, as they haven’t raised a single tax on grocery items. He pointed the finger at the merchants instead. We asked him about the government’s efforts to discourage merchants from hiking up their prices.

 

Cordel Hyde, Deputy Prime Minister

“There’s a time of the year when they collect a lot of money, and there’s a time of the year when they don’t. And then usually, they have problems meeting their bills in the times when they don’t, but if you’ve had the contract for as long as you’ve had the contract and there’s no other business in town., there’s no other game in town. Then you have to be able to sit down and reason and work through these things. Like, you shouldn’t get here. And then, I mean, the city’s dirty as it is. Even with the garbage being picked up on a regular basis. So, something’s gonna have to give. So, I think central government is going to have to sit with local government and find out exactly what is the situation and see what we can do from here.”

 

Reporter

“Will you advocate or suggest a garbage tax?”

 

Cordel Hyde

“We’re not there. We’ve not been there for the last six years. I don’t see why we would have to go there now. We just have to figure out how to pay our bills and make sure that we’re consistent with that. I mean, they’ve been doing it for the last six years. I see no reason why they shouldn’t, why they can’t continue to do that. So, I am not advocating for the garbage tax at all.”