House Wraps Up Budget Debate and Passes Compendium of Bills After All Night Session

Parliamentarians pulled an all-nighter to wrap up the 2021/22 Budget Debate and pass a compendium of bills in the House of Assembly on Monday.

It was after midnight when the House members finalized the Budget Debate and passed the eighteen bills.

This comes after nearly three weeks of debating the budget which the government argues will help the country recover and accelerate its economic growth after the COVID-19 pandemic.

As parliamentarians struggled to remain awake since reconvening from ten o’clock on Monday morning, the official opposition members PLP Leader Philip Davis, Deputy Leader Chester Cooper, Englerston MP Glennys Hanna-Martin and Independent MP for Centerville Reece Chipman, labored on and picked the bills apart while questioning and attacking various clauses of the bills.

At times, weary-eyed government ministers defended their positions and by 12:20 am, all of the bills were passed which include:

1. The Appropriation Capital Development Act 2021– the appropriation of the sums of 372,423,052 for and toward defraying the expenses the government for capital development
2. The Appropriation Revenue Account Expenses 2021/22 –the appropriation of diverse sums of money for and toward defraying the expenses of the government and revenue account
3. The Access to Affordable Hom Amendment Act
4. The Business License Amendment Act
5. The City of Nassau Revitalization Act
6. The Customs Management Amendment Act
7. The Excise Amendment Act
8. The Family Islands Development Encouragement Amendment Act
9. The Immigration Amendment Act to Provide for the Grant of Economic Permanent Residents
10. The Provisional Credit of Value Added Tax and Business License Tax to Enable Businesses to Increase Staff Employment Levels
11. The Spirits and Beer Manufacture Amendment Act
12. The Real Property Tax Amendment Act

Parliamentarians will return to the House on September 21 at 10 am.