Government of Belize reduces salaries of ministers by 15%

The Belize government have also announced a reduction in the salaries of government ministers. Prime Minister stated that there would be a 15% reduction in salaries while the Ministers of state and CEO's will have to surrender half of their entertainment and telephone allowances. He said that the heads of departments would have to continue surrendering their allowances as agreed in the fiscal year 2021. The remarks were made by Prime Minister John Briceno in his national address on Friday, where he discussed several issues along with many new government policies. Prime Minister of Belize John Briceno also stated that the government is establishing a social partnership advisory committee. He said the committee would be comprised of government representatives, NTUCB, the Churches, the business community and the non-governmental groups, with its first initial meetings to be taken by October 2021. He stated that the idea of establishing the committee is to give suggestions on revenue improvement, cost savings, tax reform and consumer security. Prime Minister John Briceno stated that some subcommittees would also be installed for each of these critical areas of scope. He said the government would give updates on the state of public finances to the committee every six months, with the first update in October of this year. Furthermore, discussing more matters, Prime Minister stated that the government would also be setting up a health insurance scheme for public officers. He stated that the insurance would cover medical, dental, and vision care expenses, including an ancillary death benefit. PM stated that the Belize government would contribute 80% of the premium, and public officers will be required to contribute the remaining 20%. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, education has shifted to virtual platforms; Prime Minister Belize John Briceno stated that the government had signed an agreement with BTL to provide 50% discounted 25GB internet data packages for teachers.