The money will be sent directly to customers’ accounts

The Treasury Department, in its effort to save money and improve services to the public, will cease paying by cheque as of Thursday, November 1, 2012. The money due them will be sent to their accounts, at their banking institutions.

Felix Enriquez, Head of Business at the Treasury Department in Belize City, told Amandala that the move will also save people hassles and delays. He said that besides providing an efficient service to the people, other demands are being made on the Treasury to meet international standards in handling and printing cheques, which have now become very costly to print.

Enriquez said that presently, thousands of cheques are printed daily at a cost of around $2.50 each, and ceasing the production will enable the Treasury to save around $50,000 monthly, at a minimum.

Enriquez said that people are urged to ensure their bank or savings account numbers are correct. To help people to ensure the accuracy of the account number, the Treasury will require a document stating the account number.

This should be done as soon as possible, he said.