BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Jan. 16, 2020– Parliament will be meeting for the first time in 2020 on Friday, January 17. At the meeting there will be an introduction of one new bill — The Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters Amendment Bill, which is set to increase international tax transparency and improve access of the Belize Tax Services to information regarding global allocation of the income taxes paid and certain indicators of the location of economic activity among tax jurisdictions in which multinational enterprise groups operate.

The meeting will then proceed with the second reading of: 1) the Social Security Amendment Bill, which will seek to remove offences in relation to insurance stamps; and 2) the Fisheries Bill, which will seek to make provisions in accordance with the international best practices for the management of the aquatic and fisheries resources of Belize with an aim to optimizing present and future benefits through long-term conservation, management, sustainable use, and development within the fisheries waters of Belize. The current Fisheries Act will also be repealed; and there will be a reading of the Hotels Tourist Accommodation Bill, which will seek to amend the Hotels and Tourist Accommodations Act to modernize the minimum registration, licensing and operating requirements for hotels and other tourist accommodations.

Motions on public business will be opened regarding the loan from the OPEC fund for Phase II of the building of the Caracol Road.

Feature photo: Laura Tucker Longsworth, Speaker of the House