Government, using its parliamentary majority, on Friday evening passed the Miscellaneous Licences (Amendment) Bill and the Hucksters Licencing and Control (Amendment) Bill but not before the opposition expressed outrage over the “astronomical increases” and called for a 50% reduction in the new fees.
Speaking first on the Miscellaneous Licences (Amendment) Bill, Finance Minister Winston Jordan said that it seeks to increase the copy of a lost licence from $200 to $1,500. He told the House that this step is in keeping with the fact that the fee has not been increased in 20 years. He said government decided on the increase after considering inflation and cost recovery efforts.
However, opposition MP Joe Hamilton said the “long and short of it is that it is a form of taxation. It is another measure that …I call a merry money making venture.” He said that since the start of the day’s proceedings government has
