Office of the Prime Minister

PRESS BRIEFING Cabinet Meeting of November 7, 2006

Belmopan - 08 November, 2006

Cabinet met in regular session on Tuesday, November 7, 2006.

The following items arising from Cabinet’s deliberations are submitted for public information:

Cabinet has approved the basic principles underlying the establishment of the Belize Petroleum Revenue Management Fund and concept model and directed that draft legislation be prepared for presentation to the National Assembly.

The Belize Petroleum Fund model was developed with the assistance of the Special Advisory Services Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat, who through its Economic and Legal Section, have been assisting with matters of petroleum exploration, development and production in Belize. The key objective of the Fund will be to maintain the real value of Belize’s petroleum wealth, including both financial assets from petroleum already produced, as well as estimated revenues from petroleum still in the ground, thus protecting the interests of future generations. The Fund will be managed by the Central Bank and all revenues derived from petroleum operations would be received into the Fund.

The Commonwealth Secretariat has been asked to prepare the legislation. While the legislation is being prepared, the Ministry of Natural Resources will be holding consultations with industry stakeholders, the private sector and the NGO community and local communities.

Sugar cane farmers in the north will again benefit this year by a duty reduction on the price of diesel fuel for the sugar industry. Cabinet has approved the reduction of duty of $2.00 per gallon on approximately 1.342 million gallons of diesel estimated by the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers’ Association for this crop year 2006/2007. This relief for the sugar industry has been made to help offset the 5% reduction in the European Union preferential price for sugar that took effect in July 2006 as well as offset increased cane transportation costs caused by the higher pump price of diesel on the world market.

Cabinet has agreed to amend the Firearms Act to provide for new categories of licenses. These new categories of licenses will include shooting clubs, shooting ranges and firearms safety instructor. A shooting club would be a non-profit organization whose activities include target practice or target shooting competitions among members using licensed firearms. A shooting range is a place designed for the safe discharge, on a regular and structured basis, of firearms for target practice or target shooting competitions; and a Firearms Safety Instructor is a person licensed by the Commissioner of Police to conduct a certified firearms safety training course. A bill to give effect to these changes will be presented to the next sitting of the House of Representatives.

Cabinet has also agreed to present to the next sitting of the House of Representatives an amendment to the Marriage Act, which will allow tourists who plan to be in Belize for less than three days to marry in Belize under a special license without publication of bans. This regime is intended to exploit a niche area in tourism travel. The practice of facilitating tourism marriages has been developed in various Caribbean destinations. Tourists would send their applications for marriage licenses to the country where they want to marry in advance of their arrival and literally step off the cruise ship or airplane and get married. Under the new amendment, such licenses will be solemnized through a special license issued by the Attorney General’s Ministry and performed by a senior Justice of the Peace at any place within Belize.

The next regular Cabinet meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 21, 2006.


For further information contact:


ROBERT LESLIE
Cabinet Secretary
November 7, 2006.