00:00Minister in the Ministry of Public Utilities, Clyde Elder, made his first contribution to debate in the House of Representatives in the new term of the Parliament as he outlined some of the reasons why the new UNC-led government brought a bill to repeal the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority that was established under the former PNM administration.
00:19The same training and developmental program that they're executing in the Revenue Authority, if you put that same resource, that same effort, that same program, that same effort into BIR and customs, there'll be no need for revenue authority, Mr. Speaker.
00:46M.P. Dominic Romain spoke on behalf of the opposition in his first contribution to a debate in the lower house. He made reference to the former UNC-led People's Partnership Administration.
01:00M.P. But, Mr. Speaker, the same prescriptions that they are now offering and telling us would fix the issues in the Board of Inland Revenue and fix the issues in customs such that there is no need for us to have a revenue authority.
01:14Those same prescriptions would have been offered in 2010 when they came in. Between 2010 to 2015, what was done to correct or to fix these deficiencies?
01:23M.P. Prime Minister Kamla Passat-Bissessor contributed to the debate. However, opposition leader Penelope Beckles did not.
01:32After Finance Minister Devindranath Tanku wound up the debate of the TTRA repeal bill, the first division vote of the new parliament was called.
01:41All of the government MPs voted in favor of the bill.
01:44The only member on the government benches who was not called upon to vote was Attorney General John Jeremy, as he is a government senator.
02:06One of the Tobago MPs present, represented by the TPP, supported the repeal of the TTRA.
02:15Mr. Thomas?
02:15Yes.
02:17The opposition leader was not in the House of Representatives chamber for the division vote.
02:22Mr. Gonzalez?
02:23No.
02:29Mr. Imber?
02:30No.
02:31No.
02:35Dr. Gaspidali?
02:36No.
02:37In the end, there were 27 votes for and 11 votes against and no abstentions.
02:44The bill to repeal the revenue authority was read a third time and passed by the House of Representatives.
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