Belizean Diaspora Encouraged to Pay Land Taxes

Recently, the Mayor of Belize City announced that the Belize City Council has plans to create an app that would allow Belizeans living in the diaspora to better manage their assets and stay up to date with paying their taxes. According to Mayor Wagner, the app will provide an ease of connectivity and maintain their relationship with the city. We spoke with Wagner today, who believes that once people are able to access their bills, they will be more inclined to pay.

 

Bernard Wagner, Mayor of Belize City

“Yeah, we have substantial residents who live abroad who has properties or who own properties or who may have become, through estate may have become the owners of properties and what we see  is a lot of them being abandoned and so we are trying to put in place the, like I discussed earlier put together a Belize City Council app which will connect those living abroad directly into the system and be able to really interact and see their statements. If you are a customer who engages in trade, in property, in liquor your driver’s license, you’ll be able to have a dashboard, which clearly show you all your relationship with the city and be able to track it. I always believe that if you are seeing what you owe in front of you every day, you are more compelled to pay. And so   if you are able to access that app and you see the interest building up on your property, that’s, you are more compelled to say,  I need to pay this through this app. Of course through merchant accounts and get it into the city.”