THE National Assembly is set to debate an amendment to existing legislation, with a view to increase revenues collected on the environmental taxes, but A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) will blockade it, should the Finance Minister go ahead.

The Bill has been tabled by Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh and is listed on the Order Paper for debate tomorrow, but according to Shadow Finance Minister, Carl Greenidge, APNU believes “that the time is not right for consideration.”
Greenidge told the Guyana Chronicle yesterday that it is APNU’s understanding, that the Bill will be deferred to facilitate further consultations with the private sector, as is the case with the telecommunications legislation currently on hold.
Should this not be done and the Bill is debated as scheduled according to Greenidge, APNU will block its passage.
Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, initially presented the piece of legislation to the House in early January and it has since completed its initial stage of being read aloud in Parliament.
The explanatory memorandum accompanying the piece of legislation proposed by the Finance Minister, says that the Bill is looking to amend the legislation where it deals with items that attract an Environmental Tax being imposed on specific goods imported into Guyana.
The piece of legislation points out that “this amendment extends the tax to goods imported for the manufacture of such items in Guyana.”
The Explanatory Memorandum says that this would mean ‘every unity of non-returnable resin, metal, plastics, glass containers containing any alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages and cardboard containers among other items.”