Electronic absorption and 8.0 T magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectra at room temperature have been carefully measured for BiX63- complexes in acetonitrile solutions containing excess halide ligand. In each case the spectra exhibit a prominent low-energy band that is accompanied by a strong positive A term and is assigned to a metal-centered (MC) 6s to 6p transition to a formally triplet state which correlates with the P-3(1) atomic state (A band). At higher energy intense bands are observed with accompanying MCD spectra that resemble somewhat weaker negative A terms, though the MCD is rather broad and consists of overlapping features. These bands are ascribed to ligand-to-metal charge-transfer (LMCT) transitions from nonbonding or weakly pi bonding halide np orbitals to the metal 6p orbital. Previous assignment of these higher energy bands to the MC 6s to 6p transition to the predominantly singlet state which correlates with the P-1(1) atomic state (C band) is shown to be inconsistent with the observed MCD.