The tourists call it "La Isla Bonita" and to be sure, San Pedro is a certified blue chip tourism product, where all the hurly burly and generally disagreeable behavior of Belize City is a faraway footnote. So while an unprecedented string of protests and events shook Belize City and Belmopan, the product called San Pedro continued unfettered. That is until Saturday, when a group of San Pedro residents showed that they don't like the new taxes one bit, and more than that, the nation's #1 tourist attraction has been squarely cut out of the revenue pie. In a special report for 7NEWS, our colleague at the_ San Pedro Sun, Ron Sniffin_ explains what San Pedranos have to say to Belmopan.
Ron Sniffin Reporting, From [The San Pedro Sun in San Pedro Town]
[Protestors Shouting: 'No More Taxes, San Pedro deserves better']
A demonstration was held on Saturday when hundreds of protestors marched through the streets of San Pedro. The demonstration was organized by Mayor Elsa Paz in an effort to send a message to the Government of Belize that San Pedro is not happy with the Prime Minister's proposed budget.
Mayor Elsa Paz, San Pedro Town
"We have all the community here; the business community, the Teachers' Union, and everybody gathered here today to have a demonstration so we can send a message to the government that we totally reject this budget since there is 0% in this budget for San Pedro. I think that's very unfair to the community of San Pedro. We all know that San Pedro generates millions of dollars to our country and I think it's fair enough for us to get a share amount of percentage."
Jeannie Lopez, Demonstrator
"No more taxes, you know we need no more taxes and in the budget there is nothing for San Pedro. There is absolutely nothing for San Pedro and that's ridiculous. The government should consider San Pedro, we give a lot back to the government and the least he can do is give us something so like it says right there, San Pedro gives everything and we get nothing back."
"Hopefully he can see this and see what all we want and sit down and you know like she is saying right now, 'no more taxes;' that's just it."
[Children Demonstrating and Chanting: 'No More Taxes.']
Manuel Heredia Jr., Belize Rural South Representative
"We are not so happy with the budget. I personally have said it in the local radio and I was going to say it in the House of Representatives also that we are not happy with the budget, especially when it comes to our island; there are nothing in infrastructure for our island. If we can recall there is the marina that is $3 million spent over there and it cannot be operated at this time. We are asking lets get the job done, lets have it finished, and get into business so that our taxpayer don't have to be paying for that. This marina can be probably self-sustainable but we have to finish it. It's almost a year and nothing is going. There are the million dollar that the Prime Minister promised to the people of San Pedro at the Lion's Den, he pledged a million dollars for the cobblestone street. Some of the Ministers have personally said that they feel embarrassed whenever they come with dignitaries to San Pedro and having to go through rain and seeing the conditions of the street. I was thinking that in the budget at least they would have the million dollars back in the budget so that we could complete this project. Coming to the school it is already overcrowded, they speak about building more classrooms all around the country but they are always forgetting San Pedro which is the number one destination and which if you do not develop a lot of the infrastructure along with the tourist industry, at one point we will be getting into trouble."
Prior to Saturday's events, some people voiced concerns that the demonstration might scare away tourists.
Tracy Curran, Tourist
"I'm definitely a tourist."
Ron Sniffin,
What's your reaction to what you just saw, the demonstration going on?
Tracy Curran,
"It feels like we are at home. Yeah I guess it happens everywhere."
Ron Sniffin,
Does it affect your decision to come back to Belize?
Tracy Curran,
"Oh definitely its not going to affect my decision to come back. We'll definitely come back because we just like it here."
Mayor Elsa Paz,
"What will affect more the tourists or the tourism industry will be the increases of taxes than this demonstration."
While the police were ready for anything, it turned out to be a very peaceful demonstration. From San Pedro for the San Pedro Sun, Ron Sniffin Channel 7 News.
San Pedro teachers also staged a mini protest last week Tuesday.
