The 2004/2005 Budget was debated today at the National Assembly Building in Belmopan. It's important to the democratic process, and should be the finest display of parliamentary cut and thrust, but more than that it's just plain good fun and sometimes straight up "kicks" as the representatives heave boulder sized blows across the assembly floor sometimes with delicate precision, other times, with blunt brutality.
Hon. Dean Barrow, Leader of Opposition UDP,
"He it is that behind inflated ego and jargonisic rhetoric has presided over the shambles that we see culminating in this year's budget. The Minister of Finance, has become a kind of national freak show - presided over by a carnival barker. And with the acts proceeding in dizzying succession, fire sales of patrimonial assets, casas de cambios, securitization, utilities cartel, woodlice heights housing schemes."
"Madam speaker, the surreal presentation that was the budget speech two weeks ago is a part of the phantasmagoria that Belizean governance has become. When the chairs were folded and the curtains, the people were left with defacto devaluation, no money at the bank, collapse of the DFC, increased joblessness, and 56 million in New taxes. The very tming of this new budget perpetrated a fraud on the Belizean people."
"And that brings us Madam speaker to the third reason for the premature presentation of the budget. It is to get a head start on the revenues from the new tax measures that accompanied the budget. The most punitive tax measures ever in the history of our country. The very passage of which is proof positive of the full-blown crisis that has over taken our economy and country. So desperate has the government become, so broke is it, so cash strapped, such a basket case that it couldn't wait until April 1st. It read the budget two weeks ago and passed the new taxes immediately. The government didn't care about the inconvenience and cost to merchants. And it certainly didn't care about the cost to consumers. It wanted its money now. It needed its money now. Because Madam Speaker the truth is it is broke and desperate. Let us together or separately do whatever is necessary to register our protest at this bogus budget."
Hon. Said Musa, Prime Minister of Belize,
"What we have here today is a budget that as presented by the minister of fiancé is a treatment to the major accomplishments of this government in the face of daunting challenges. It is a good budget for a good country. No new tax was introduced in this budget. Besides closing some loopholes in the existing law, all that these measures will do is increase some taxes. This will not affect the hundreds of food items and medicine already exempt from paying sales tax. Electricity and water pay no sales tax and now more goods are exempt from paying sales tax."
"The leader of the opposition scoffs that we exempting small refrigerators and small stoves from sales tax, and saying that's not going to help people. Well it might not help him because he might be using a small refrigerator and stove but it's going to help of hundreds of people out there who need those things."
"Madam Speaker, I do realize that whenever these things are done in the way they are done, they do cause some inconvenience. In fact a great deal of inconvenience to business people in commerce as well as the service sector. I regret this very much, let me say that. But let me also say that we on this side of the house acted in good faith. We do not profess to hold a monopoly on wisdom. If later on after these measures are allowed to work, we review them and find mistakes, we will be the first to come here to this house and correct those matters."
"This is a bold budget, it is predicated on reform. It is calling for a greater commitment. It is calling for those who have more to contribute more for the common good. It is restructuring DFC. It has land reform again. It is a bold budget because it targets social justice and development. It tackles social inequity, crime and violence but importantly it moves us down the road to economic prosperity."
It started at 10:40 this morning and ended when UDP anchor Michael Finnegan and PUP Finance Minister Ralph Fonseca concluded hostilities.