Opposition Leader Raises Questions and Slams GST Waiver

During today’s House Sitting, there was a lively exchange between Leader of the Opposition Moses “Shyne” Barrow and Prime Minister John Briceño. Barrow pressed for specific answers to his questions but was dissatisfied with the responses he received. He later shared his frustrations with reporters outside. We’ll listen to part of that exchange and then hear Barrow’s take on the Prime Minister’s reasoning for the GST waiver.

 

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition

 ”My content had no aspersions because you would not allow that, Madam Speaker.”

 

Speaker Valerie Woods

“Thank you. Honourable Prime Minister, can we just answer the question? We’ve already dealt with the first.”

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“Madam Speaker, just a point I’m making, that if he wanted information, he could have gone and speak to the Honorable Minister, and he would have given all the information. But he thinks he will embarrass the Minister to come and ask that question here. Likewise, Madam Speaker, the same thing comes along with the issue of fuel. The member from Mesopotamia ought to know t how to frame his question in such a way that it does not expose himself.”

 

Moses “Shyne” Barrow

“It took them four years to come up with this right before the general elections are supposed to be called? So he said he came up with it in two weeks. So for four years, he didn’t know that Belizeans need relief? For four years, we were dealing with COVID, then we were dealing with inflation for the last three years. And now, right before election, they give this carrot, which is not real because if you look at the price gouging crisis that we have been having, where even when they made certain provisions for women’s necessities, and you’d go to not be taxed or to have certain tax exemptions. You’d go, I have constituents that complain that they go to the market and the prices don’t change. Sugar, which is a control price. They sell for more than the control price, so to say that the G.S.T will do anything when some of these supermarkets don’t even report the proper G.S.T and can build in the price to include what would have been G.S.T and all the government gets to do is say, “Oh, we have waived G.S.T,” but they have proven very ineffective and incompetent when it comes to enforcement.”