National Assembly passes three Bills
Professional practice certificate fee to be implemented in three categories
By Mark Ramotar
Guyana Chronicle
August 19, 2003
‘…as a Government, we’ve tried to cater to the needs of many of the professionals in various categories and now we have a better Bill, one which will ensure compliance to a large extent.’
--Finance Minister Kowlessar
THE Fiscal Enactments (Amendments) Bill 2003, the Veterinarians Bill 2003 and the Animals (Movement and Disease Prevention) Bill 2003 were each read for a third time in the National Assembly yesterday and passed as amended.
Passage of the three Bills, especially the Fiscal Enactments (Amendments) Bill which had attracted heated debate in the National Assembly last Wednesday night, was temporarily halted after agreement by both Government and Opposition to have them referred to Special Select Committees, which were tasked with submitting separate reports by yesterday.
Finance Minister, Mr. Saisnarine Kowlessar, at yesterday’s short sitting, which lasted a mere 10 minutes, moved that the report of the Special Select Committee on the Fiscal Enactments (Amendments) Bill 2003 be adopted, and that the Bill be read a third time and passed as amended.
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Crops and Livestock, Mr. Satyadeow Sawh, moved the reports on the other two Bills - the Veterinarians Bill 2003 and the Animals (Movement and Disease Prevention) Bill 2003 - for adoption and for them to be read a third time and passed as amended.
Mr Kowlessar, in a brief comment to the media yesterday afternoon, noted that he was “very pleased that we are now in a position to say that the Fiscal Enactments (Amendments) Bill 2003 has been passed by the National Assembly after very long debate and meaningful discussions at the National Assembly level and at the Special Select Committee level”.
He noted that the Bill essentially sets out to enshrine in the law many of the concessions as far as possible that were granted on a discretionary basis in the past and to enshrine those exemptions and concessions into the law and generally to enhance transparency and accountability.
“I want to say that generally, as a Government, we’ve tried to cater to the needs of many of the professionals in various categories and now we have a better Bill, one which will ensure compliance to a large extent,” Kowlessar posited.
He said, too, that based on representations and reactions, some aspects of the original Bill have been changed and amended and one of specific importance to the young professionals.
The Minister indicated that in the original bill, it was proposed that professionals pay a practice certificate fee of $250,000 but this position has been reviewed and further amended, in which case, the professionals have been put into various categories.
“As you are aware, in the terms of a practice certificate fee, professionals have to pay $250,000 for that certificate fee. Now we are able to put them in various categories and this entailed some categories paying the full $250,000 immediately while some will pay $150,000 to $75,000. So those young professionals, who qualified within three years of application for the practice certificate will now pay a flat fee of $25,000 which is a big change from the original Bill,” Kowlessar said.
This Bill, which was introduced in the National Assembly on August 4, and seeks to amend a number of fiscal legislations to give effect to certain sweeping tax reform measures.
In guiding it through its second reading last Wednesday, Kowlessar had noted that the Bill is very important and intended to, in a way, overhaul and bring major reforms to the tax system.
According to him, the Bill seeks to amend eight Acts to accomplish tax reform in several areas, such as the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act, the Financial Administration and Audit Act, the Tax Act, the Consumption Tax Act, the Travel Voucher Tax Act, the Income Tax Act (in aid of Industry) and the Customs Act.
The aim is to institute certain tax policy reforms as regards remission of tax, the reduction of tax rates and allowing tax administration resources to be used more efficiently.
According to Kowlessar, part of this new Bill will also deal with the process of discretionary exemptions, which have been given in the past.
“We are not removing those concessions which were given in the past, but what we are now doing is enshrining them into law,” he explained.
Kowlessar said, too, that the Bill is a “bold and positive step” to have a comprehensive reform of the tax system in Guyana.
Meanwhile, during the conclusion of yesterday’s brief session, Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Ralph Ramkarran noted that Parliament has now gone into recess until November. In this regard, he thanked members for their cooperation and efficiency, which were displayed in “conducting our work during the storm”. He also thanked the Clerk and the staff of the Parliament Office for the hard work, which they had put in to make the sessions successful.
“I would like to convey to members, my best wishes for their summer vacation,” Ramkarran told the National Assembly.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr. Reepu Daman Persaud, in return thanked the Speaker for the tolerance, which he exercised and the able and beneficial manner in which he has conducted the sessions of Parliament in the past.
“I wish you a peaceful recess,” Persaud told Ramkarran.
He also moved that the National Assembly stands adjourned to a date to be fixed.
