We also asked Hyde about one of the issues he has championed multiple times in the House of Representatives: the non-payment of land taxes by private land owners.
Last year, he estimated that the total amount in arrears owed to the government is in the tens of millions of dollars. The press asked him about his ministry's crusade to get all that revenue that is owed, and he said that the government has decided to consolidate its tax collecting powers into the Belize Tax Service Department:
Hon. Cordel Hyde - Acting Prime Minister/Minister of Natural Resources
"Well, it's a tremendous load for the ministry alone to deal with. What we found is that we don't have the firepower to take it on on our own. So, what the government has decided [is] that they will put all tax collecting powers in the tax department. And so, there's an integrated process going on there where they are they are helping us to do collections. It's a partnership. A lot of money has been spent in that regard. A lot of training is taking place, and I know they have started on that. We've also changed the law to empower the director-general of the tax unit to take people to court in an easier way. Because previous to that, we had to get the DPP's clearance and DPP direction. That has changed. Basically, once you owe, you're not paying, you've been given a chance, and you don't pay, then you go to court. And you figure it out because, I mean, owning a piece of land is the ultimate gift you can get in a country because this is a finite resource. Not everybody is going to get peace, try as we may, at least so far. Not everybody has a piece. So, the people who have gotten have a responsibility to pay their taxes. And when you don't pay, you're violating a sacred pact. You're violating the common good, and so we're expending lotta energy there, but it's resting with the tax unit now."
