G.O.B. to Publish Names of Tax Evaders

John Briceño

Among the complaints raised by public officers facing salary cuts and increment freezes is that G.O.B. is not doing enough to come down on tax evasion.  On Friday, a bill was introduced to amend the tax administration and procedure act. It would allow the government to publish the names of tax defaulters and make provisions for prosecution.  Briceño says that with the help of a tax recovery unit, they will go after businesses and individuals to collect outstanding taxes because more than half a billion dollars remain unpaid.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“Unfortunately, noncompliance with tax laws remain rampant and it is estimated that an average anywhere between twenty and twenty-five percent of registered taxpayers every year fail to file tax returns every year. Tax arrears continue to accumulate. As of the end of May, the cumulative business tax, GST and PAYE income tax outstanding is approximately six hundred and forty-five million dollars including penalties and interest. As time goes by, millions of these tax arrears become exposed to being statute-barred, to say it plain, it means the government will not be able to collect these taxes. And this is what is going to get Belizeans very upset, of this six hundred and forty-five million dollars owed, eighty percent or over five hundred million dollars or over half a billion dollars is already more than five years old. It is five hundred and thirty million and more than five years old so pretty much you could say that most of this will not be able to collect because it will become statute barred.”