GOB Announces Four-Day GST Exemption on Retail Purchases  

The Government of Belize, in collaboration with Belize Tax Services, has launched a fantastic initiative to give back to taxpayers across the country. On December fourteenth, fifteenth, twenty-first, and twenty-second, any local retail purchases will be GST exempt! Yes, for four days in December, you can shop at your grocery stores, supermarkets, hardware stores, and convenience stores—basically any retail store—without paying the usual twelve and a half percent in General Sales Tax. However, some items like gasoline, alcoholic beverages, and cigarettes won’t be GST exempt.

 

Michelle Longsworth, Director General, Belize Tax Services

“We are now announcing that we will have GST tax free days in December. This coming weekend, which is the fourteenth and fifteenth, Saturday and Sunday and next coming weekend which is the twenty-first and the twenty-second weekends, all high spending, this is the high spending months, these days will be GST free. Based on our data analytics and economic trends, we were able to properly advise to say this is an initiative that government can undertake bring government and the people closer. So the GST tax free days will see our tax payers going into stores purchasing tax free for those days, twelve point five percent, tax free. So that will be deducted form your spending. It is important to know for the business side, it is going o be simple. They don’t have to reprogram their registers. Most of them use the POS systems, there will be no need to reprogram their systems. They will just offer the twelve point five percent as a discount line. Meaning, that when you as the tac payers go in. we are empowering our tax payers. All year around, we as the tax administration we always advise people ask for your receipt, look for your receipt. All stores, everywhere you go, from the mom and pop that charges GST, to Courts, the big retail, everywhere, it is across the board, the entire country of Belize. Whenever you go into the store and you are purchasing cash based. The following goods are not exemptible, goods that are imported, at importation all importers will still have to pay their GST. Goods on consignment or others sold for wholesale purposes. The supply of goods on credit, or credit installment or higher purchases. Those are not included. The supply of motor vehicles, gasoline, LPG, diesel, guns, ammunition, cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, those are not included.”