PSU President sounds alarm over Revenue Authority bill: “That is dangerous”

By Zoila Palma:  Public Service Union (PSU) President Dean Flowers is raising serious concerns about the proposed Revenue Authority Bill, warning that the legislation could place too much power in the hands of one government minister.

The bill, tabled in the House of Representatives at the end of July, forms part of the government’s plan to transform the Belize Tax Service into a Semi-Autonomous Revenue Authority (SARA).

While employees and members of the business community have already voiced concerns about the proposed changes, Flowers says his biggest worry is not workers’ pensions or how public officers will be transferred into the new authority, but rather the proposed system of checks and balances.

“For me as a citizen, the most dangerous defect in the draft revenue authority bill has nothing to do with pensions and workers protection,” Flowers told 7News Belize.

The PSU president said that the proposed advisory board would have limited authority and would not be able to direct the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or make operational decisions.

He said the bill instead places significant authority in the hands of the minister responsible for the authority, who would appoint and remove the CEO. “All the power instead flows from one person, a minister who appoints and removes the CEO,” Flowers stated.

Flowers also questioned the process for selecting the future CEO, arguing that there should be an independent and competitive process to determine the person’s qualifications and integrity.

 He said the advisory board should have a meaningful role in assessing the individual who will lead the Revenue Authority. “We must ensure that the manner in which the CEO of the soon to be Revenue Authority is established that there is a clear and competitive process,” he said.

The PSU president further warned that the proposed arrangement could have broader implications for how statutory bodies are governed in Belize.

Under the current proposal, Flowers said, the CEO would need the minister’s approval to take action, while the minister could issue instructions to the CEO. “If the CEO wants to do something, he seeks the approval of the minister. If the minister wants to do something, he instructs the CEO. And that is dangerous.”

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