Photo: Prime Minister Hon. John Briceño delivers State of the Nation Address
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Sept. 18, 2024
To get away from the mudslinging that has become characteristic of the main speeches at the Official Independence Day Ceremony on the historic Independence Hill in Belmopan, the Briceño Administration decided to bring back the State of the Nation address. In agreement with the Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Moses “Shyne” Barrow, PM Briceno delivered his address on Tuesday, September 17, and Hon. Barrow responded today.
PM Briceno’s address was organized to mirror the Independence Day ceremony, but at a smaller scale. It was delivered outside of the Sir Edney Cain Building that houses his office, and he spoke with students from four primary schools in Belmopan as his backdrop. In the audience were Cabinet members, the Speaker of the House, CEOs and diplomats.
Of course, PM Briceño presented a rosy view for the state of the nation, but the highlight was the campaign perks that he dropped in benefit of the middle class, chief among them that the income tax threshold would be increased.
The PM pointed to a 3% unemployment rate as at April 2024 with 97 of every 100 people who want a job working. “Belizeans are working and Belizeans are winning,” declared the PM. The exponential increase in jobs is attributed to the priority BPO sector. Incentive programs, he says, will allow for the implementation of work-from-home arrangements and on-site daycare for single mothers at BPOs.
According to the PM, the tourism sector keeps growing in strides. He also announced all-time historical GDP figures, which, as at the end of 2023 exceeded $6 billion – equivalent to a growth of 34% since 2020.
The head of government reported that even inflation has gone down significantly from 2022, dropping by 2.5% from 6.3% to 3.8%.
In more state of the economy figures, the Prime Minister cited Central Bank data which point to $194 million in the much sought after Foreign Direct Investment for the first two quarters of 2024 streaming into the country.
PM Briceno declared that to “further support small business, small farmers, even new homeowners, Government is making access to finance more affordable.” He then proceeded to drop the first of what has been deemed as an election plum: “And as we ring in the New Year, Government will pass legislation so that all mortgages, assignments and cancellation of mortgages for less than $100,000 will be exempt from stamp duty.” Also, in a move to support more private sector sponsorship of sports and education, the PM announced that “a business tax credit equivalent of up to $30,000 or 1% of the tax liability, whichever is lesser, will be granted to a taxpayer donor for such donations.”
Returning to tax reform, PM Briceño indicated that effective January 1, 2025, all workers who earn less than $29,000 will be exempt from paying income tax. The threshold is currently at $20,000. This will benefit 2,851 workers. Importantly, he added, “The income tax laws will also be adjusted to remove existing anomalies so that in no instance will an employed person take home less pay when his/her salary increases.” The change will benefit over 733 people. The changes will be equivalent to $3.3 million.
In the health sector, Briceno boasted that expanded NHI now allows 216,970 Belizeans to benefit. He also reported on the numerous scholarships and educational grants and land that have been awarded, as well as the infrastructural upgrades across the country.
The one area where the PM readily accepted the Government faces challenges is crime. He stated, “Citizen safety, for example, constantly tests our mettle, especially because the same Constitution that guarantees our liberties can, at times, provide armour for disturbers of the peace.”
Asked in an interview after his address whether the benefits announced are election plums, the PM emphatically proclaimed, “No! Absolutely not. We said it from early on that that is something that we want to do. That we want to be able to see how we could give relief to the middle class … and so this is just the first step.”
For his part, in his post address interview at UDP headquarters in Belize City in the presence of just a handful of supporters, Hon. Barrow remarked that these initiatives would hardly have any impact. “You’re talking about a nation of four hundred thousand people. You have 130,000 people that are unemployed, underemployed…we need legislation and policy that will impact everybody – that will bring the cost of living down…” In his State of the Nation response, Hon. Barrow outlined all the areas where he says the Briceño Administration has fallen short since coming to power in November 2020. Spending a significant amount of time on the hiccups in health under the leadership of then Minister Michel Chebat and now under Minister Kevin Bernard, Hon. Barrow said that the PUP is far removed from the reality of hardship on the ground while living high on the hog. Hon. Barrow gave the Ministry of Health a failing report card since November 2020.
The Opposition Leader called on Belizeans to ask themselves, “After four years of the Briceño Administration: are your lives any better? Can you afford the highest cost of living ever? Are you closer to getting your first home? Did you get your first piece of land yet? Are you getting affordable, quality public healthcare? Can you afford to send your children to school? Do you have food security? Are you living the Belizean dream or the dreaded nightmare?” The masses are punishing, said Barrow, as their dollars contract every day and their poverty increases. He referred to the PUP Plan Belize 2020 Manifesto as “Scam Belize,” and called NHI a privatized hustle. As to the economic growth that Briceño spoke of, Barrow declared, “We do not see the GDP growth he boasts of – nor do we feel it.” According to Barrow, only the chosen few have seen economic growth, while “the rest of Belizeans have been in a recession for the last four years.” In the case of unemployment, Barrow retorted, “Do not tell Belizeans about a 3% unemployment rate when the poverty rate is 39%.”
Barrow also focused on education, crime, the energy crisis and national security, and concluded, “The Briceño doctrine is failing all Belizeans in all sectors: our farmers, artists, athletes, teachers, public officers, MSMEs, investors, our students, the working class, and unfortunately, the vulnerable … the State of the Nation is failing.”