And while Councillor Novelo isn't onboard with any related party contract, the UDP today came out raging against the Trade License Bill. In a two hour long press conference, the opposition party covered several topics but they began by dissecting the controversial bill.
The Leader of the Opposition, Shyne Barrow, explained that this is the worst possible time that the government can pick to create further taxes for Belizeans - many of whom are making the bare minimum and were out of work and income during COVID.
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"For so long under COVID 19, people could not work, people could not have employment, and the moment that the restrictions are lifted, the government, who is bankrupted, who has no way of creating the 50,000 jobs that they promised, has no way of creating any of the industries that they promised, has now resorted to what they planned all along, tax the people, that's their way of generating revenues."
"An entertainer is lucky if they make $200, $300, $500 for the day. Maybe some of the bigger artists might make $1,000. Is the government truly thinking about the best interest of the people that elected them when we're not even halfway recovered from COVID 19 and you will start to grab at the little that our people have? Entertainers are underpaid as it is. Entertainers have not been properly invested in, historically. Previous administrations. And now, just as things are starting to open back up as the recovery is fledgling, you are going to tax the people who already have little?"
"Now they say, oh well, that was there from the UDP. People don't want to hear that, people didn't vote for the UDP. And shame on you that the UDP was wise enough at Cabinet to reject the trade license, to reject the implementation of the policy that would hamper the fishermen. And now you come and promise to do better but you're doing worse."
And yesterday on Sunup on 7, the Minister and CEO of Labour clarified that, no, the bill one, does not apply to villages, two, does not affect the everyday man or woman selling items like fruits or tamales, and, three, does not affect entertainers who are not performing at a concert.
But according to UDP Shadow Minister, Orson "OJ" Elrington, in black and white, the bill actually says the opposite.
Orson "OJ" Elrington, Shadow Minister
"They claim the law does not apply to persons who are in villages. That is their claim, that the law does not apply to persons in villages. But let us just go to section 14 of the bill, where it says who this bill applies to. It says every person who wishes to commence a trade within the limits of any town."
"Let's go to what is the definition of a town for the purposes of this act, and it is in the very third page of the substantive act. In the definitions. It says a town means any town mentioned and described in the schedule to the Town Council Act or the Belize city Council Act, B the city of Belmopan established under the Belmopan City Council Act, or any village declared under the Village Council Act."
"Let us go to when they say a peddler, who is a peddler? They claim it does not refer to the person who sells oranges, the person who sells anything on the side of the road, let's go again to the definition in the act. The act says, according to the act, in the black and white, under definitions, it says peddler means a person who sells or exposes goods for sale in any public place."
"They claim that the tax on entertainers is only for big entertainers, established entertainers, those who are having huge concerts."
"Again, the definition segment of entertainers, says entertainer means a person who perform any act for profit including any acrobat, circus performer, dancer, singer, musician, comedian, and disc jockey. Nowhere does it say any person who makes over $10,000, over $1,000, it gives no qualifying criteria."
And while Elrington said he believed the PUP were misrepresenting, UDP chairman, Micheal Peyrefitte, had a different theory.
Michael Peyrefitte, UDP Chairman
"They came on TV and they lied because they know that's not what it says. But I'll take it one step further, they haven't read it. This law was created a long time ago, we rejected that, somebody told them that "noh worry, it noh wah apply to any village," and they just took that. But I bet you that they have not read that piece of legislation or they wouldn't say what they said. That's my view on it anyway."
