But, opposition leader John Briceno isn’t waiting those 10 days to tear into it. He said the budget is flat and uninspired:...
Hon. John Briceno - Leader of the Opposition
"We know what's going on with all of these projects, that is why more and more people are referring to this government as the kick back government. In effect this is a kick back budget, there's nothing for the productive sector, there is nothing for our ordinary citizens of this country. When you think about it, this government has spent approximately 11 billion dollars and ask yourself, are we better off today? Has poverty gone down? Has crime gone down? Has unemployment gone down? Has productivity gone up? By all the metrics that you take, this is a government that has failed the Belizean people. This budget is an empty budget that was presented today to the Belizean people."
Jules Vasquez
"However, as the representative for the north, is there any excitement over the projects to, I believe again, pave the Orange Walk to Progresso road and the Corozal to Sarteneja road?"
Hon. John Briceno
"Well it was about bloody time don't you think? This government is about projects and we need a government that is about people."
Reporter
"While you described the budget as a flat budget, the prime minister has not announced any new taxes and he's made a big deal of that. What's your comment?"
Hon. John Briceno
"Well what he's not telling you is that he is going to collect more taxes, he plans to collect at least 44 million dollars more in taxes because what they're doing is that they're going to every single body and trying to squeeze even what they don't owe. Yesterday, fuel gone up again, that's a tax, that's a direct tax on the pockets of the Belizean people. So don't let the prime minister try to fool you that he's not implementing any more new taxes, he's squeezing out more from the Belizean people."
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