Last week Friday social media exploded in a frenzy after Oscar Requena, the Minister responsible for Local Government tabled the Trade License Act of 2022.
Since then the Bill, has been creating quite a stir among village vendors, e-merchants, and many of the side hustlers who've been told that the tax-man is bound to knock on their door.
And this morning when the Minister and his C.E.O. appeared on Sunup on 7 they told us that the tax, at least for peddlers isn't new. Here's their take on the rules for peddlers and why they say that small-time rural vendors are exempt.
Valentino Shal
"Peddlers only exist only under the law in urban area currently and that would remain the same in the new law, so there be no peddlers in rural areas legally. In other words, you can be a peddler in a rural area, there is no charge, no fee, no nothing."
Host
"Let's determine what is a rural area, because we know that villages, once it's declared a village under the village council act, it's under that trade licensing bill. What is a rural area in that case?"
Valentino Shal
"A rural area is anything outside of the declared municipalities."
Host
"Can you give us an example of where is a rural area?"
Valentino Shal
"Anything outside of Belize City for instance, in the Belize District is considered rural area. So all these established villages with recognized councils and everything - those are villages and so, because I saw on the news last night about peddlers in rural areas and peddlers having a square footage of 600 sq feet before they are charged. Peddlers by definition are mobile, you wouldn't have an establish premise, so putting those 2 things together is incorrect, so peddlers, people selling ideal and tamales in villages - all of that stuff - none of that is covered under the law. This is for established premisses, because we do have large businesses in some rural areas, not all of them, but quite a few of them and so those are the ones who are asked to pay a little bit and it's not taxed at the same level in the rural area or charge at the same level in the urban area. They are very different and so you have to be a certain size and 600 sq ft is quite a decent size right."
Hon. Oscar Requena
"Thats a very important point that we need to clarify, because certainly some of the misinformation that we see on social media in relation to the rural area is that they are saying every small little business, the tacos stand, craboo stand, bread stand is going to be paid a trade licensed and that is absolutely not so. Under the proposed legislation, it has to be an established business and the premise must be 600 sq ft. or more for them to be eligible and what are we talking about, under the proposed legislation anything above 600-800 sq ft is $150 per year. Anything between 600-1000 sq ft is $250 per year. Thats the proposed. Remember that all of this will go before the house committee and representation is going to be made. There is the possibility that those fee structures may change."
