The scene in the House of Assembly as the Budget communication is delivered.
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune News Editor
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
ALTHOUGH no new taxes will be introduced in the upcoming fiscal year, the Davis administration tabled bills in the House of Assembly yesterday that would increase fees for some services.
A Passenger Tax (Amendment) Bill was tabled to adjust passenger levies. As a result, people leaving The Bahamas “other than by sea” would have to pay a fee of $28, up from $15. Cruise ship passengers leaving from the harbour of Nassau, Freeport or Bimini would have to pay a $23 fee, up from $10.
Cruise ship passengers leaving the country from private islands who are not visiting any other port in The Bahamas would have to pay a $25 fee when the amendment is enacted.
Additionally, every cruise ship passenger arriving or leaving the country would have to pay a tourism environmental levy of $5. There is also a tourism enhancement levy of $2 for every passenger arriving or leaving the country.
According to the bill, the funds would be deposited to the Tourism Development Fund, which has not yet been established.
According to the draft estimates of revenue and expenditure, revenue from sea departure tax is projected to increase to $144m in the next fiscal year, up from $50m.
The Davis administration also tabled a bill yesterday to amend the Immigration Act. The bill would empower the minister to impose a levy on work permit fees that “may be used for the purpose of immigration enforcement, national health and wellness promotion programmes”.
Likewise, a Public Finance Management (Immigration Levy) (Special Fund) bill was tabled to establish a fund to deposit revenue from immigration levies. The financial secretary would be the fund administration. An advisory committee to the fund administrator would be established, consisting of permanent secretaries from the ministries of immigration, health and education.
Furthermore, the administration tabled a Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill to “enable a fee, greater than $1.00 per page, to be charged to a person, for the purpose of obtaining a motor vehicle licence history record.”
Under the bill, the principal act would be amended to introduce a new $50 fee to obtain a motor vehicle licence history record.
Comments
moncurcool 11 months ago
If you increase a fee, isn't that a new tax?
ExposedU2C 11 months ago
LOL. You must be D- eductated if you don't already know the answer to your question.
moncurcool 11 months ago
So since you so educated why not answer it. Engage the issue. We have a government saying no new tax, yet at the same time saying they having a whole new steam of revenue. It means it is a new tax. Yet, what is there new that is being giving to the people?
So typical of the intelligent ignorant among us who will avoid dialogue by slinging mud.
ExposedU2C 11 months ago
You would have been much better off simply telling me your question was rhetorical. But it seems that was not the case. Now I don't know whether to feel sorry for you or just LMAO.
bahamianson 11 months ago
Slippery tongue, lawyers got us. If the police record charge is $5 and VAT is 10%, you pay .50 cents. If there is no VAT uncrease , but a fee increase from $5 to $7.50, now, the government gets .75 cents. They are slippery people , taking bahamians for fouls.
ExposedU2C 11 months ago
Most Bahamians do not realize that all of these newly created 'special funds' into which new fees (taxes) are being deposited do not exist within the Public Treasury and therefore are unconstitutional.
The new "Tourism Development Fund" and new "Public Finance Management (Immigration Levy) (Special Fund)" are just two more such unconstitutional funds added to the many that have been created by successive corrupt governments in recent decades to escape the controls and procedures that our Constitution all along intended would exist within the Public Treasury alone to help mitigate waste, fraud, and corruption.
Money scattered everywhere in a multitude of special fund accounts is ripe for the pickens by corrupt government officials appointed to oversee the money by corrupt elected officials.
trueBahamian 11 months ago
A lot of political creativity at play. If we want to give them the benefit that they are trying to do the right thing, which we know they're not, why are the persons overlooking the funds government officials? If you create funds, how about you include also persons from the private sector who can have proper oversight? Od course we know they won't do that. But, why do we as Bahamians don't demand these thjngs?
If the funds are unconstitutional, then demand that this can't happen. If they have a legitimate reason for going this route then demand that it is properly ran and it is transparent.
realfreethinker 10 months, 4 weeks ago
jokes
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