Posted: Monday, September 15, 2025. 9:04 pm CST.
By Aaron Humes: Andrew Munnings, a young entrepreneur and owner of Munnings Funeral Service, has been committed to jail after failing to settle what the Belize Tax Service Department (BTSD) termed as a significant tax debt, totaling $172,000.
Munnings, known for his thriving funeral service business, was taken into custody this afternoon after the BTSD issued a committal warrant, following months of negotiation over his arrears. He had even engaged an accountant and attorney to reassess his financial situation in light of previously published reports detailing his unpaid taxes.
According to Munnings, discussions with the tax office have been ongoing, but he was unable to consistently make his required monthly payment of $2,000 to settle the outstanding amount. It meant his detention at the Belize Central Prison today after a court appearance.
The court demanded he needed to pay $85,000 immediately — an amount he claims he cannot afford. Attorney Orson Elrington, whom Munnings solicited for legal advice, voiced his concerns over Munnings’ treatment, stating, “When I arrived, I learned that the tax department had filed to have him detained until he could pay an astronomical sum — money that Andrew simply does not have. The assessment was wrong, the pressure was unrelenting, and despite our best legal efforts, the court offered no real reprieve. The only option: pay half now or face six weeks in jail…Andrew’s only crime is not being able to pay an unfair tax bill. He is not a criminal, and he should not be locked away. This man deserves a chance to make things right, to be with his family, and to have his voice heard.”
Elrington further described a poignant moment after the hearing when Munnings spoke with his child’s mother, urging her to care for their daughter during his absence. “In that moment, I wasn’t just an attorney — I was a father. And no father should have to live this nightmare,” he added.
In June, Munnings appeared on the Department’s latest list of defaulters for owing $183,209.91. At the time, Munnings said his five-year-old business outsources over “90 percent of its products and services” and argued the tax bill does not reflect his actual earnings.
“You have threatened jail time and the closure of my business…It is a sad system without any motivation to own or build in this country,” Munnings said in June. “When we charge a family $5,000, please understand that $5,000 is not Andrew Munnings’ profit. I make my profit from consulting, directing and executing.”
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The post Entrepreneur Andrew Munnings hauled to court and sent to Central Prison over tax dispute appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
Posted: Monday, September 15, 2025. 9:04 pm CST. By Aaron Humes: Andrew Munnings, a young entrepreneur and owner of Munnings Funeral Service, has been committed to
The post Entrepreneur Andrew Munnings hauled to court and sent to Central Prison over tax dispute appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.