Last Friday, we showed you Oscar Requena, the Minister responsible for Local Government and Rural Transformation, introducing the Briceno Administration's Trade Licensing Bill of 2022.
Among other changes, it will empower local government authorities in villages, towns, and cities to charge micro and not-so micro enterprises and operators a trade license fee.
Most controversially, it makes provisions for peddlers and entertainers to be charged a trade license fee.
While only those peddlers who operate in a 600 square foot space stand to pay a fee, for entertainers, it's a different story - and, tonight, they are the most outraged by the proposed legislation.
In the new trade licensing bill, entertainers are defined as "...a person who performs any act for profit including, an acrobat, circus performer, dancer, singer, musician, comedian, and disc jockey." The new bill says that they can be charged as much as $200 per day.
Last week, some of Belize's well-known musicians, entertainers, and DJs took to Facebook to express their outrage at the Bill and the suddenly high cost they could incur to do business.
Dina Halsall, the bassist for the Belizean rock/metal band, Ascenthium, said quote, "This choice will affect current and future entertainers by making the cost of entry inaccessible for us and the venues." End quote.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour, and Local Government sent out a press release saying that entertainers are already eligible for trade licensing assessment under the existing Trade License Act. This requirement remains under the proposed Schedule 7 but ONLY for the urban setting.
This evening, we spoke with Local Government Minister Oscar Requena for a few more clarifications on this bill. Here's what he told us via telephone when we asked specifically about peddlers and micro-enterprises in the rural areas:
Hon. Oscar Requena - Minister of Local Government
"The matter of trade licenses for the rural areas is only applicable if we have 600 or more square feet of productive space. And care is right now within the municipalities, yeah. The Trade Licensing Act requires that businesses within the existing municipalities register. But there is, you know, even the existing trade license things are going to be amended within the municipalities to ensure that, you know, it is a more fair and more equitable process for the business owners. Unfortunately, a lot of the emphasis and the misinformation was on the rural area where they were saying that all these small business establishments were going to be paying a trade license. That is absolutely not so, very, very important."
Daniel Ortiz
"Street or roadside vendors or micro-enterprises that take place within towns and cities Do they have to get trade licenses now, sir?"
Hon. Oscar Requena
"As it is within the municipalities, I believe that they would have to - You know. There would certainly be clear criteria for those existing businesses that would have to be registered. I do not see the smaller vendors: the tacos stand, the barbecue stand, the little rice, and beans stand - I know that municipalities may have a small little fee that may be levied on them. Those are all issues that we are contemplating in the bill. We are looking at it. And definitely, I can say to you that those concerns of the general public are going to be taken into account. But it is important that these businesses be registered."
We turn now to the Minister's comments on the outrage of the entertainers and performers who say that the ceiling for the fees that they can be charged is far too high. Here's that back and forth:
Hon. Oscar Requena - Minister of Local Government
"The matter of fees for the various service providers, such as the artists and others that there is a maximum ceiling of $200. Now, the boards, in their own deliberations and in their own wisdom, may decide in a particular jurisdiction that you know what they want to levy in a particular fee, not exceeding $200. It can be far less than that, and they will have that right to do so."
Daniel Ortiz
"But can't the entertainers, musicians, and the DJs make the point that the ceiling is too high and that it gives the licensing boards the opportunity to charge them a fee that is way out of their reach? And it says daily."
Hon. Oscar Requena
"I think there is a clarification that has to be made. We're not talking about a daily fee. I think it's a matter of whenever they carry out their performance sessions. So, it does not necessarily have to be on a daily basis. I think that that is important that we clarify. And let me say to you. We hear the concerns of the artists and other performing entertainers. We hear him. I believe that it was a genuine concern that they have raised. We are a government that is going to listen to the people. We are going to take into account their concerns, and we are going to work with the various stakeholders. So that at the end of the day, this can be a win-win situation."
