The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

GAMING Board regulations that will tack down the legal taxation framework for the industry could be enforced today.

Attorney General Carl Bethel told reporters yesterday draft amendments to the Gaming Act were also being reviewed by Cabinet and, if approved, will be tabled in Parliament for passage this week.

Reforms will create an investigative agency at the Gaming Board and strengthen the regulatory body’s capacity for enforcement, he said.

“It will be an amendment to the Gaming Act and also some regulations that will be tabled - if Cabinet approves - (today) in the House of Assembly,” he said, “which will bring in the new structure.

“I anticipate that by time as Cabinet ends (Tuesday), we will have the Gaming Amendment Bill which will greatly increase the powers of the Gaming Board to enforce not only against licenced operators who may infringe but against unlicenced operators.

“It would create a whole new investigating agency of the Gaming Board with the powers of peace officer subject to court ordered warrants and search warrants etc and so it’s a very farsighted legislation. Then there will be regulations as well that will capture the agreed legal taxation framework for the gaming industry.”

Mr Bethel told reporters that Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar - who are both out of the country - have authorised the tabling of draft amendments and regulations in the House of Assembly today.

“There were some directions that I had to give in terms of the drafts, to clean up some areas and to make sure it clearly stated what we intended. Those instructions have been given,” Mr Bethel said.

“All of that should be approved by Cabinet (Tuesday). If so we have instructions and the authority from prime minister to table the legislation and bring them into force tomorrow and also to table the Gaming Bill and pass it on Thursday,” he added.

The Attorney General was speaking on the sidelines of Elsworth Johnson’s swearing-in ceremony as Minister of Immigration, Trade and Financial Services at Government House.

He noted the enforcement of the tax regulations represented the end of a long and dynamic negotiation process.

Yesterday, Mr Bethel reiterated the government’s estimation that it will collect $50m in taxes from the web shop sector annually.

In the 2019-2020 Budget, total gaming taxes are pegged slightly above $36m.