Three Bills, forerunners of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), were passed in the Anguilla House of Assembly late Tuesday evening, September 3, after a prolonged debate lasting some four-and-a-half hours.
The technical legislation, piloted through the Assembly by Premier and Minister of Finance, Mr Victor Banks, are the Interim Goods Tax Act, 2019; the Excise Tax Act, 2019; and the Customs Service Fee Act, 2019. They were all given their second and third readings having received the first reading at a recent parliamentary meeting.
In wrapping up the debate, Premier Banks commented: “We are here today, Mr Speaker, to present these Bills before this Honourable House because they lead to a new phase in how we manage the trade. It also gives us another opportunity to expand our trade regime tax structure in such a way that it will improve the way that we deal with importers; the way we deal with manufacturers; and the way that we deal with people who buy services and who, like a consequence of every industry, would need to make a contribution to Anguilla for the services that support them.”
He added: “That is the whole idea about this new international tax structure, Mr Speaker.”
The Leader of the Opposition, Ms Palmavon Webster, voted against all three pieces of legislation claiming, among other matters, that there was a need for public consultations.
Premier Banks received the support of all of his colleagues on the Government side of the House of Assembly. He told the Assembly that the Government had sought and obtained the necessary technical advice on the legislation.
It is envisaged that the legislation will take effect as from October 1. The Goods and Services Tax will be introduced in three phases, bringing Anguilla and it’s Customs and trade systems up to date with international standards and requirements.
