Senior Counsel (Alpha Services)

Q- Do you offer different types of services?
A-Essentially we are a general practice but our emphasis is in civil litigation and commercial. We do most things except criminal matters.

Q-Which is better?
A-The area we find most active is in commerce.
Well we have a related entity, different from the firm, Alpha Services AND IT’S THIS SERVICE THAT OFFERS OFFSHORE SERVICES.) Alpha is the trust corporation that does offshore services here at this firm. Mrs. Amanda Young manages Alpha Services.

Q-What do you expect for this year?
A-We have not seen rapid growth this year. In fact we’ve seen a slow down. The reason we believe is the change in tax system that has dampen the rate of growth. It’s because of a recent change in the system and another change which is about to take place in July.

Q-Are there plans to expand?
A- No. We have an office in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye and we have no plans to expand..

Q- What’s your principal market share?
A-Our principal client source is a few institution companies in Belize like banks , insurance companies, in the agro-industry and tourism. In terms of larger client base it’s all outside Belize, in the U.S. We also have real estate services too.

Q-Do you have any marketing strategy?
A- We do have some kind of strategy and it’s derived out of our participation with (LEXMUNDI). It’s an international association of law firms. There’s a strategy we have developed through services provided (LEXMUNDI). It is essentially networking with leading firms in different jurisdiction. And also general publications in periodicals which is usually a marketing directory, Solicitor’s Journal in the U.K.and that’s essentially it for strategy.

Q- Is Belize a safe country for doing business?
A-In my opinion, yes. In that there is the rule of law and the courts are in my view independent. The various tiers of court which we have, a hierarchy of courts from the High Court, Couirt of Appeal to the Privy Council in the U.K. which is currently our final court of appeal. I have used them quite a lot (laugh) and I would say that generally they’re reliable; so in terms of the judicial process there are some limitations in Belize in terms of the process in that it doesn’t move as fast as one would want it but at the end of the day the process is fairly reliable. Whether you’re a Belizean or non-Belizean you have the same rights so it’s safe to do business here in Belize.

Q- Do you have any fiscal incentive or help from the government?
A-Yes there are certain fiscal incentives that the law prescribes, especially for those in manufacturing & tourism. For example customs duties exception and so on.

Q-What’s going in Belize-this year and the next?
A- Well (laugh) Belize has its problems it’s not paradise at all. One of the gravest problems facing Belize today is a fiscal imbalance in the public sector that needs urgent, urgent attention in order to ensure financial stability from the public sector standpoint. That is to some degree outside the hands of people in the private sector but it’s a problem that can put a significant slow down on economic growth but I think it has manifested itself when the government put a significant increase in taxes on people who purchase land. It’s like 15%, totally ridiculous and that has dampened the rate of growth in that area.
Property taxes have also skyrocketed, especially taxes on Water Front Property; where you can see the river, sea and so on. Then there’s the introduction on July 1, 2006 of the G.S.T.- (Goods and Services Tax,) which is the General Sales Tax.

This type of increase in taxes is certainly an impediment to growth. So we hope we will see a change and I think maybe it can only come with a change in government (laugh). A change can usher in fiscal responsibility on the part of the public sector which is creating a problem today in terms of the types of policies we see; so hopefully it can change. I’m still confident in Belize because there’s no much choice. We’re already taxed to our limit; it’s just a matter of how we’re going to change that situation to ensure that those that have the means of production, the ability to invest will be allowed to do that rather than to be taxed to the point that there’s a dis-incentive to do that.

A great deal of the investment comes from outside the country, it’s not really locally generated or credited. It’s externally driven therefore we need to improve the local environment in order to ensure that that foreign inflow is sustained.

Q-Let’s say you became the prime minister (yesterday) what is the first thing you would do to Belize?
A- One of the first things I believe I would address in Belize is to remove all those impediments that operate against the inflow of foreign investment and the free movement of capital. I would remove things like exchange control, abolish the requirement, give everybody the permission to hold U.S. currency.

I would probably adopt a programme to MAYBE abandon the Belize dollar and take on the U.S.currency (laugh). But I’m not a politician because these things might not appear to be quite nationalistic. But I think they’re things from a business/economic standpoint that can auger well for Belize in so far that we’re small and therefore certain small, things may have larger impact in terms of turning around the economic direction. Another thing I’d do is re-introduce the death penalty to make sure that we have a suppression of crime.

Q-Really, the death penalty?
A-The death penalty is on the books but it’s not enforced; for capital punishment, that is. That is also a matter which requires URGENT ATTENTION.

Q-where are the investment opportunities in Belize for locals and foreigners?
A-There are opportunities in agro-industry, for everyone in tourism-service sector, in off shore services, international financial services, agriculture, agro-processing and service.

Q-What’s your biggest success in this firm?
A-Well not in this firm but I consider it to be philanthropic. It’s a programme that I was involved in with USAID to give training to small business people. It was to arrest the development of radical type of political development taking place in Central America And the Caribbean. I was their legal adviser. That was a tremendous success, that programme and I’m happy to have been associated with it for about a decade or so.

In terms of work-My firm was part of the initial acquisition of the Royal Bank of Canada by a local group which lead today to the existence of the Belize Bank in 1987 I believe and also we have been involved in more recent times in the acquisition and the consolidation of the citrus processing plants in Belize as one entity from C.D.C.-(Commonwealth Development Corporation), which is an overseas UK public corporation and a local group of farmers consolidate to acquire and that was a tremendous economic achievement for Belize and we were happy to be involved. That took place about 3-4 years ago.

Q-What’s the bigest obstacle you have encountered?
A-Well, there’s no one big problem as such but several little ones (laugh) from the point of view of the practice of law in Belize; a more positive development in terms of the judiciary is the appointment of our current Chief Justice, Dr. Abdulai Conteh. I think it has brought some upliftment.

Q-What’s your advantage?
A-We aspire to provide the highest quality of service at all times. I’m not sure if it gives us some advantage but that’s what we do.

Q-Do you have a specific message you want to get across to potential investors coming to Belize?
A-I would say always come with an open mind and inform themselves, especially investors coming out of a certain environment. And coming to d0o business in this kind of a third world setting. They need to realize they’re not doing business in the same place. However, there are tremendous business opportunities in Belize for anyone.