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Would it be prudent for Governor to sign new customs & duties bill?

- Talk Show host believes he should not, but await UK budget team to have discussions first
Governor McCleary also sits in cabinet but it is unclear if he is in total agreement with the amendments to the Customs and Duties Bill. Photo: VINO
Douglas Whealtey thinks the Governor should not sign the Bill until the UK delegation gets here.
Douglas Whealtey thinks the Governor should not sign the Bill until the UK delegation gets here.
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI - With Minister for Health and Social Development Hon. Ronnie Skelton announcing in the House of Assembly on February 14, 2012 that a team from the United Kingdom is expected to visit on budget matters, the question has been asked whether it would be prudent for Governor Boyd McCleary to sign the recently passed Customs and Duties Bill since the team may have some concerns on it.

Douglas Wheatley, speaking on the radio programme ‘Speak Out BVI’ on February 21, 2012 said concerns are still rife as to whether savings will be passed on to the consumers because the legislation itself did not make an enforcement provision to ensure that the savings were passed on by the merchants and this change does not seem to be for the direct benefit for the consumers.

He also said speculations are common on the bill because persons were not privy to it before it was passed.

“The difficulty there is that when a bill comes to the House it has its first reading and nothing else happens after the first reading but then it is gazetted and it becomes a public document and every Tom, Dick and Harry can have access to it, read it and then make your comments as you see fit to your representatives but this wasn’t done so some of us have not seen this bill yet...”

Second District representative Hon. Alvin Christopher had in fact expressed this concern in the House and even objected to a second reading.

But according to Wheatley, Minister Ronnie Skelton had mentioned that there would be a team or persons coming out from the United Kingdom to look into the budget and although he did not elaborate on it in the House, the general concern among persons he has had discussions with is whether the Governor should sign the bill or wait until the UK delegation gets here.

“So what persons are saying is that if in fact persons from the UK are coming from London to look at our budget and if as we know the budget is still in the Standing Finance Committee where they are looking at it item by item, clause by clause, how would it work that they are in the process of doing this and yet a bill is being taken to the House to reduce the revenue? They found that a little confusing and they posed a question in light of these persons coming from the UK and we don’t know what their remit is apart from what Minister Skelton said but we have not seen a press release or anything about what their remit would be.”

Wheatley said in their view it would not be prudent for the Governor, if he has not already assented to the bill which when approved by the House of Assembly is then sent to him for his signature, to sign off on that bill prior to the visit of the UK Delegation and their discussion with the Minister of Finance and other persons involved.

“They (UK delegation) might be concerned that on the one hand revenue is being reduced by some 3.7 million and they may say well if you are taking that away from customs is there another way of making up that 3.7 million because you want to maintain the strength of your revenue while of course reducing your expenditure and the move that is involved in this reduction is not affecting the expenditure side of the budget but rather the revenue side.”

The talk show host said persons have asked him for an answer but, while he could not, opined that if he was the Governor he would not have signed off to the bill until the visiting finance personnel from the United Kingdom would have arrived and conduct their discussions.

10 Responses to “Would it be prudent for Governor to sign new customs & duties bill?”

  • critic (22/02/2012, 07:14) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    why ndp want to rush everything? just to say that they did something? no wonder them cant finish the parking lot yet.....things like this happens when one rush the brush
    • HELLO!! (22/02/2012, 11:15) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      You just hush..how many projects your government left un-done? In fact, how many projects did they do at all? You worry about the mess NDP un-cover for you will be caught up in it with the others. The parking lat will be finished...we are NDP not VIP
      • wrong again (22/02/2012, 12:15) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        TO MYRON aka HELLO: Why you all always assuming only government workers blogs? If ‘critic’ is who I think it is, she has never work for government or gotten a government job!
  • sign (22/02/2012, 09:00) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    this bill is a big political joke! please do not sign it governor
    • All that glitters is not gold (22/02/2012, 10:51) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      The bill is premature and more needs to be done to ensure that consumers benefit. The government appears to be relying on the consciences of the local businesses in reducing their prices. If businesses decide not to lower their prices there is nothing that the government can do legally to compel them. That is the flaw in the entire plan. How can government expect these businesses which already mark up their products as high as 300% to do do the right thing? come on people think! The businesses will benefit from this move and not the consumer and that is the real goal of this bill. The rich helping the rich to get richer under the guise of helping the poor. Do not be fooled.
  • kenny Rogers (22/02/2012, 09:57) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    they must grurtee that we the lil lil people will get the savings pass down to we!!
  • ooooo (22/02/2012, 11:55) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    this bill is to assist ndp cronies
  • Ambitious (22/02/2012, 13:20) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    There is a need for a consumer protection agency. With that creation, it will be the watchdog for this bill and keep businesses compliant.
  • weed (22/02/2012, 14:00) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    keep an eye on this governor I do not trust him
    • acf (23/02/2012, 04:46) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      But I could have told you not to trust he...but no one could handle these governors like uncle ralph.


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