In a milestone for Belize’s regional engagement and domestic tax modernization, the Central American nation has been elected to the Executive Council of the Inter-American Center of Tax Administrations (CIAT) for the 2026-2027 term. The announcement follows the vote held during CIAT’s 60th General Assembly, which concluded May 11 in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Michelle Longsworth, Director General of the Belize Tax Service Department, will serve as Belize’s representative on the council. She will join fellow decision-makers from eight other member jurisdictions: Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Curaçao, the Netherlands and Panama, positioning Belize to help shape regional tax policy alongside major hemispheric economies.
The win comes at a particularly pivotal moment for Belize, as the country advances one of the most sweeping overhauls of its tax system in recent decades. At the core of this reform agenda is the full rollout of mandatory electronic invoicing for all goods and services tax (GST)-registered businesses. The framework was enabled by amending the national GST Act, which entered into force on January 1, 2025, with the Ministry of Finance confirming full implementation plans back in March 2026. Non-compliant businesses will face formal penalties under the updated legislation.
Policy makers designed the new e-invoicing system to advance two key goals: closing gaps that enable tax evasion by creating fully transparent, traceable digital records of all commercial transactions, and cutting red tape for compliant businesses by streamlining GST reporting processes.
Beyond digital invoicing, Belize’s CIAT Executive Council seat aligns with its broader national tax reform strategy. The government is also working to strengthen its cross-border international tax cooperation frameworks and advance a transition to a Semi-Autonomous Revenue Authority (SARA), a shift designed to improve administrative efficiency and compliance outcomes.
Regional tax bodies like CIAT play a critical role in coordinating tax policy across the Americas, supporting member states in combating cross-border tax evasion, modernizing revenue administration, and aligning domestic rules with global tax standards. Belize’s new seat on the governing council gives the country a direct voice in setting the body’s priorities for the coming two-year term as it advances its own domestic reform goals.