The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the National Trade Union Congress of Belize today signed on to an agreement that will see both entities forming an alliance to address the issues of taxation and reform. The Chamber's Arturo Vasquez says the agreement comes up with a plan of action that both the NTUCB and the BCCI will take to ensure government's commitment on reform and taxation are met.
Arturo Vasquez, BCCI President
"The agreement is putting on paper what are the objectives we want to reach. If you notice from the agreement as well it is more a medium to long term solutions that we want to try to achieve within a certain period of time. Why put it on paper, why sign an agreement? Really it is so we can be clear between both organizations as to what we want to achieve. We do understand there may be differences at time. We may be addressing different issues so the document clearly states that there are times when we may want to be addressing certain issues on our own. We may be going after the same objective but in different angles. Like for example Friday there is a demonstration, the Chamber will not be participating in that as an organization but we will be participating as individual members. As to whether we will be closing businesses in the future, there is a possibility. The document does state that we need to agree first on what we will be protesting and demonstrating against and then we the Chamber need to get our membership together to see if we agree to go to the maximum of closing down or just supporting it as a voice as such."
Alfonso Noble,
A main concern for yourself and the unions is the issue of taxation. In terms of that there seems to be a conflict of interest in that an equitable distribution of taxation would say that those who have would pay more and those who have little would pay less. The unions and yourselves are on the flip side of that. How can you marry those interests?
Arturo Vasquez,
"Okay again that is one of the things as mentioned in the document that there may be times when we will have differences in how we address certain things. This may be one. I don't have all the answers as to how it will be at this point. Yes there may be differences and we may have an opinion and they may have one. The whole idea is for us to work together and come to one final agreement. Some of the interest of the business community is not always the interest of the unions and vice versa. For example the teachers, that is for the unions to deal with, the Chamber can't support them but it is not something that we need to be able to be jumping up and down all over the place and trying to make a whole lot of noise over that."
Alfonso Noble,
And hence the conflict of interest. The unions are more grassroots and the business sector is that, the business sector.
Arturo Vasquez,
"Well that's true. Yes there is a difference between both of us but at the same time I think we are only going for the same cause."
Horris Patten, NTUCB President
"There are two things we agreed to originally. That is the matter of reform and taxes. Those two are very significant in our relationship; reform and no new taxes. So once we have decided to come together, we have decided to cement it with an agreement. We have signed a document that will ensure the continued collaboration between both of us. So that was the main thing and we are saying, and we are still on the same wavelength."
The agreement is broken down in two parts of short-term objectives that will seek to dissuade government from implementing new taxes as well as an investigation into the DFC. The second part is to pressure government into overhauling the tax system and the bigger picture of reform to investigate past abuses and other areas of concerns.
