The Tax Administration and Procedure Bill, 2019
| Date Gazetted: | May 25, 2019 |
| Service(s) Affected: | Services |
| Specific sub-sctor: | – |
| Document: | Bill |
The Tax Administration and Procedure Bill 2019 harmonizes, rationalizes, and simplifies the operation of tax administration and procedure in Belize’s tax laws.
The Act applies to the taxes collected under the GST Act and the Income and Business Tax Act. The Act establishes a Belize Tax Service, which will be responsible for collection of these taxes. In addition, the Act balances the powers given to the Department with the rights of taxpayers.
Overall, the Act facilitates consistent and effective tax administration and provides taxpayers with procedural safeguards and clear requirements and timelines. For the most part, the provisions of the Bill are based on existing rules contained either in the GST Act or the Income and Business Tax Act, or both. Because functions under the two Acts are being merged, the TAPA is needed to eliminate duplications and inconsistencies between these two Acts, so that the Belize Tax Service can function under one set of procedural rules.
