Bulletin: Belize News Today
Hosts who already collect and remit the 9% accommodation tax monthly would pass the higher rate straight to travelers under the government's plan
Belize Hotel Tax Hike Would Raise the Levy on Guest Stays by Nearly 39%, Short-Term Rental Hosts Included
Hosts who already collect and remit the 9% accommodation tax monthly would pass the higher rate straight to travelers under the government's plan
Photo by Meritt Thomas on Unsplash
The Government of Belize is proposing to raise the national hotel accommodation tax from 9% to 12.5%, a 3.5-point increase that would apply to every property licensed with the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) including short-term rentals listed on booking platforms.
The plan has drawn public opposition from the country's two main tourism industry associations and the opposition United Democratic Party. No effective date has been announced yet.
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What the Government Is Proposing
Prime Minister John Briceño first floated the increase in January 2025 saying the tourism industry "needs to pay their fair share" after years of public investment in tourism infrastructure and marketing. The plan resurfaced in August 2026 and reported figures have ranged between 12 and 12.5% with UDP Chair Sheena Pitts citing 12.5% which she called "over a thirty-three percent increase in tax rate." Hotelier Stewart Krohn of Naia Resort has pointed out that no written document explains how the new revenue would be allocated.
Why Short-Term Rental Hosts Should Care
Under the Hotels and Tourist Accommodation Act, Belize taxes vacation rentals and hotels identically. Every accommodation (whether a resort, a room, or a whole house) must register with the BTB before advertising on platforms such as Airbnb and operating unregistered carries fines up to BZ$10,000 or up to three years imprisonment.
Registered hosts collect the 9% tax from guests and remit it through the BTB's online Monthly Accommodation Tax Return portal by the 14th of the following month even in months with zero occupancy. If the increase passes, that same machinery would collect 12.5%, raising the guest-facing price of every compliant listing in the country.
Belize's BTB Online Portal
The Pushback
Opposition has come in waves through late August with Belize Hotel Association president Reynaldo Malik warning the hike could erode market share against Cancun, Jamaica, and Costa Rica while Belize Tourism Industry Association president Efren Perez said price-conscious travelers "may simply look elsewhere" and that the BTIA will demand 2% of any increase be earmarked for climate adaptation.
Opposition Leader Tracy Panton issued a statement titled "Do Not Tax Tourism Into Decline" on August 24, demanding published revenue projections and an independent audit of the government's $50 million tourism infrastructure bond. The UDP wants the plan suspended pending an independent economic impact assessment and warns that it threatens 35,000 tourism-dependent jobs in a sector the government's own 2026 documents credit with roughly 40% of GDP.
⦾ Status: Proposal only; no bill or written framework published as of late August 2026
⦾ Effective date: Not announced
⦾ Registration required: Yes, all accommodations must hold BTB registration before listing (existing rule, unchanged)
⦾ Current tax: 9% accommodation tax, remitted monthly to the BTB by the 14th
⦾ Proposed tax: 12.5% (some reports cite 12%)
⦾ Penalty for unregistered operation: Fines up to BZ$10,000 or up to three years imprisonment (existing rule)
⦾ Platform responsibility: No; collection and remittance sit with hosts and hoteliers, not platforms
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