Dominica: Members of parliament will take the Oath of Allegiance to begin the first meeting of the first session of the eleventh parliament that will be held on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. at the House of Assembly.
Following the general elections held on December 6, 2022, Dominica’s Speaker and Deputy Speaker will be chosen at this meeting. The Oath of Office will be taken, officially starting the new legislative term.
Charles A. Savarin, the president of Dominica, will give a speech, and prime minister Roosevelt Skerrit, will announce the separation of parliament and the calling of the eleventh parliament.
Irving McIntyre, the minister of finance and economic development, will present a proposal to establish additional calculations of expenditure for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, with a total amount of $235 million.
The other bills up for a vote in the House will legalize the policy choices made in the 2022–23 National Budget, which were aimed at reducing the negative impacts of general economic trends and providing relief to the citizens.
These include a bill for an act to amend the value-added tax act; it will increase the number of VAT-free units of electrical energy provided by Dominica Electricity Services Ltd (DOMLEC) to domestic consumers from 100Kwh to 150Kwh and zero-rating the VAT on fuel surcharge payable to DOMLEC.
It was also aimed to implement the deduction of VAT on agricultural tools and potting soil as well as the deduction of VAT on the import of pleasure crafts engines.
Along with changes to the International Maritime Act and the Civil Aviation Act, the Order Paper also includes changes to the pension act, stamp act, road traffic act, vehicles act, registration act and the elimination of the Highway maintenance levy.
At the meeting, the Dominica Agricultural Industrial and Development Bank’s financial statements and the report on the review of its 2021 debt portfolio will also be laid out.
