Dear Editor,

When is the journalism community going to investigate the issue of the millions of dollars of unaccountable (and taxable) sales receipts that never get recorded on a cash register, and instead are just placed in the infamous “Belize wooden drawer system of accountability” through hand-to-hand cash transactions?

If the drawers were eliminated and these million-dollar merchants were forced to use a cash register w/receipts on ALL sales transactions, GOB could tap into a sizeable taxable revenue stream to DOUBLE teacher’s salaries, fix an existing school infrastructure in serious disrepair and also pay police officers a liveable wage.

Assign an aggressive investigative bulldog to dig into this matter. Trust me, savvy merchants nationwide have figured out this loophole. They abuse this system on a daily basis, laughing all the way to the bank with a sack-full of unaccountable profits.

Who needs an accountant when government provides a gift that just keeps on giving? Food for thought.

Lawrence Denig