National Budget Delayed Until May

The Government's annual Budget, usually unveiled in March, will instead be presented in May due the March 12th General Elections, and ministerial adjustments, Prime Minister Hon. John Briceno confirmed this week.

Belize’s national budget presentation, traditionally scheduled for March ahead of the April fiscal year start, has been delayed to the second week of May. Briceño confirmed the postponement, citing logistical challenges stemming from the general election and ongoing changes within ministries.

The Budget outlines the Government's spending plans and policy priorities for the year and is especially significant under Belize’s program-based budgeting framework, where funding is tied to specific outcomes. The delay means that ministries and departments will continue operations without updated Parliamentary authorization for new expenditures until the Budget is passed.

According to the Prime Minister, much of the Budget had been finalized before the elections; however, the nationwide polling process effectively redirected the public sector’s human resources, leaving few available to complete the remaining work. The Prime Minister also acknowledged that the scale of the disruption only became fully apparent to him after experiencing it firsthand as head of government.

Following the completion of internal revisions and alignment with newly reassigned ministerial responsibilities, Cabinet is expected to receive a presentation of the Budget’s final structure in the coming week. The decision to target the second week of May accounts for the short work week during the first week of that month.

Once tabled, the Budget will undergo the standard Parliamentary debates and scrutiny before receiving final approval.