And while bond purchasers are providing the capital infusion for those 150 streets, city residents and business owners will also be paying more.

We've told you about the ten dollar per dwelling residential garbage tax - but business owners are complaining that they're also being made ot pay - with sharp increases in trade license fees.

We've spoken to a number of business owners whose fees have gone up 60% or even more.

That's a difference of thousands of dollars - and so we asked the mayor today, is he trying to gouge business owners to pay for those fancy streets?

Darrell Bradley - Mayor, Belize City Council
"One of the things that we had done is that we had looked at the trade rolls which are public, so every person can check how everybody else pays in terms of trade licenses. And what noticed is that there was a significant amount of disparity. And the actual calculation and assessment wasn't being followed. So, you had persons who were paying significant amounts, and persons who are paying very little. And what we did is that we equalized it. Some persons, we brought them down to manageable limits, and then, others persons who were paying very little compared to their rental value, we had to increase them so that we could match it. The reason why some people will experience an increase is because of that balance, and every single increase that we have made, we can justify. And persons had written us, and what we are doing is that we are providing justification. The increases were not predicated on any principle of increased revenue. Of course, if there is net increase overall in the roll, that endures to the benefit of the Council. But those increases were not as a result of any desire to increase revenue- "

Jules Vasquez
"Are you sure, sir?"

Darrell Bradley
"It was as a result of wanting to equalize the rolls."

The mayor says the council will set up a three person appeals board to review complaints...

Channel 7