The covert cocktail of contraband fuel and contraband beer have sponsored many a weekend spree in Northern Belize. In fact, the easy availability of contraband goods all across Belize is a way of life for many. More than a way of life, it's a means of survival for those who can't afford to buy off the shelf because it's just too expensive. Well, whether you use contraband for a weekend jolly or just to get by, the duty free ride is going to be over soon - or so say representatives of a triad of agencies that have come together to counter contraband. We found out more.
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
With no apologies for political incorrectness, they call it the "black economy" and if you listen to the sudden and unblinking righteousness of these business leaders, it's just about the worst thing since the black plague.
Dionne Miranda, BCCI
"Those that operate in the black economy who do not pay their fair share of taxes, who evade customs duties, who are willing to give and take bribes, and actually present false paperwork for under-invoicing. These are the ones that are actually taking over our country."
Taking over the country and now the trinity of the government, the Customs Department and the Chamber of Commerce says they'll drive these evil forces back at whatever cost.
Arturo Vasquez, Chamber of Commerce President
"The Chamber of Commerce and Industry has decided to take a bold and big step in its campaign against corruption and contraband in our society."
Gregory Gibson, Comptroller of Customs
"Its about five minutes to midnight, its about how bad the situation is. It is about contraband, its about an attitude of defiance, its about an attitude of complacency both within the business community and within the Customs, and within the whole of Belize. We can't go on talking, we've spoken long enough. We've pointed fingers long enough."
But those who'll put an end to it are the same ones that all created a contraband market either by commission or omission. Chamber President Vasquez conceded that corruption in business is a two way street.
Arturo Vasquez,
"Corruption needs cooperation. To this we must agree. Let's face it: customs officers cannot take bribes if we do not offer to pay bribes and they won't hardly solicit bribes if we refuse to pay them. We do need to concede at some point that the corruption that affects our society is found at all levels and is in fact so entrenched that it seems like normal practice to many of us. The Belize Chamber of Commerce will not condone illegal activity in business. We are asking everyone to conduct their business responsibly in the best interest of this nation. We must set the example."
The Customs Department will also seek to set the example by cracking down on fraudulent importers and putting the squeeze on its own.
Gregory Gibson,
"We are introducing a code of ethics for Customs officers and we are also introducing an internal affairs division which means that Customs officers will be under investigation if any information is truthful and can be supported. For too long those individuals who choose to do the wrong things seem to get the advantage; they get their goods quicker, their goods are out on the market, and they seem to be having a fine time. This has to stop. Those importers who are above board, who are honest, will be getting their service unmitigated and released promptly, carrying on with the business of the day. Those importers, or those individuals, who choose to take the other line will be experiencing difficulties of all sorts, both in terms of paper work and both in terms of perhaps prosecution. Change is difficult but we are convinced that this effort, with the support from yourselves, can be achieved."
And part of that change will come form automation and computerization, funded by the European Union and promised by the Prime Minister. But Gibson warns that is not the panacea to all the ills of his department.
Gregory Gibson,
"Automation without the changing of attitudes will not get us anywhere. We will have the same devils behind the computers or within the system slowing it down."
But with all this eager resolve to put an end to contraband, what about all those who benefit from it, who believe they must buy uncustomed goods because they cannot afford shelf prices inflated by high taxes.
Dionne Miranda,
"A lot of us are tending to be sympathetic to the small person bringing it across the border. We are not looking at that. We are looking at the truckloads and trailer loads that are being seeped out of the Free Zone areas, we are looking at the amount that comes over the border in the night, where millions of dollars are being lost. We are not looking at the little five dollars and the ten dollars that's for a sack of flour that's feeding a family; we are looking at where it is actually hurting the country at large levels."
Gregory Gibson,
"Who sometime exploit the small and family contraband who is bring a small sack of flour and certain things for his personal use to try and put a sentimental picture on contraband trade. Don't be fooled, the contraband trade is commercial and it supports a thriving informal economy."
And that economy will continue to thrive as long as taxes keep going up. The Prime Minister concedes there is a correlation, but there's also one other thing.
Said Musa, Prime Minister of Belize
"I take the point that the higher tax, the more creative people will become to avoid paying their just taxes, I don't think we need to dispute that premise; it's a fact of human nature. However, you cannot just ascribe the contraband trade just to higher taxes. Deep down you can't escape the fact, which is what this whole press conference is all about today, that contraband has to do with dishonesty. You can find all the excuses you want, but it's basically a dishonest way of doing business and we will never be able to totally eliminate it. They say that prostitution is perhaps the oldest profession and I would think that contraband comes pretty close right after that."
And if contraband is the oldest trade in the books, it's not quite certain how the new tricks discussed today will put an end to it.
One of the proposals for increased vigilance is the installation of video cameras at Customs entry points, those cameras would be monitored remotely via the internet. Also, a more concrete proposal is that the notoriously delphic Customs Department will be made to issue press releases to publicly out businesses that try to evade customs. That new policy got off to a shaky start today when Comptroller Gregory Gibson disclosed that a Western importer was busted with 1,500 cases of contraband Gatorade but he refused to disclose the name of that importer who, by Gibson's pronouncement, is facing a fine of $45,000 to $100,000.
