Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1694572877763.pdf (Belize)
BELIZE No.

HR13/1/13 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Thursday, 24th March 2022 9:00 AM.

-*- -*- -*- ORDERS OF THE DAY 1.

Prayers.

3.

Announcements by the Speaker.

4.

Bill brought from the Senate.

1.

Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill, 2022.

(The Honourable Minister of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries) 7.

Presentation of Report from Select Committee.

No.

HR104/1/13 - Report from the Public Service, Labour, Industry and Trade Committee on the Village Councils (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
(The Honourable Chairman of the Public Service, Labour, Industry and Trade Committee) 13.

Motions relating to the Business or Sittings of the House.

14.

Public Business.

A.

Government Business [Resumption of the Debate on the General Revenue Appropriation (2022/2023) Bill, 2022] 1.

General Revenue Appropriation (2022/2023) Bill, 2022.

Bill for an Act to appropriate certain sums of money for the use of the Public Service of Belize for the financial year ending March 31, 2023.
(The Honourable Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment) 2 I COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY 1.

Draft Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for Fiscal Year 2022/2023.

(Sessional Paper No.

HR95/1/13 was presented on 15.03.22.)

2.

Official Charities Fund Motion, 2022.

(referred 15.03.22) (The Honourable Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment) II MOTIONS (For Text of Motions see Notice Paper attached) 1.

Official Charities Fund Motion, 2022.


(referred 15.03.22) 2.

Resolution Authorizing the Adjustment on the Rates of Business Tax on Net Interest Income Motion, 2022.

Cabinet’s recommendation to be signified.

(The Honourable Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment) 3.

Motion to seek to move the Belize Advisory Council to advise Her Excellency the Governor-General to exercise the Prerogative of Mercy, 2022.

Cabinet’s recommendation to be signified.


(The Honourable Minister of Human Development, Families and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs) III BILL FOR SECOND READING 1.
Village Councils (Amendment) Bill, 2022. requirements for eligibility Bill for an Act to amend the Village Councils Act, Chapter 88 of the Substantive Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2020; to provide for election as Chairperson or member of a Village or Community Council; to provide for a procedure for the resignation of an elected member of a council; to allow for the Deputy Chairperson to assume the powers and duties of the Chairperson during his absence from office; and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
(The Honourable Minister of Rural Transformation, Community Development, 3 Labour and Local Government) IV COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE HOUSE ON BILL V BILL FOR THIRD READING 4 BELIZE No.

HR13/1/13 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Thursday, 24th March 2022 9:00 AM.

-*- -*- -*- NOTICES OF QUESTIONS AND MOTIONS M O T I O N S 1.

Official Charities Fund Motion, 2022.


BE IT RESOLVED THAT this Honourable House approves the expenditure of $2,385,089 from the Official Charities Fund as detailed in Appendix A of the Draft Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the year ending 31st March 2023.

(referred 15.03.22) 2.

Resolution Authorizing the Adjustment on the Rates of Business Tax on Net Interest Income Motion, 2022.

Notice given on 22nd March 2022.
WHEREAS, section 107 (1) of the Income and Business Tax Act prescribes, in the Ninth Schedule to that Act, the rates of tax that are to be levied on receipts; AND WHEREAS, pursuant to sub-section (2) of the said section, the National Assembly may at any time by resolution amend the Ninth Schedule; AND WHEREAS, the Government of Belize wishes to adjust business tax on the net interest income charged to banks and financial institutions with a view to incentivizing lending in strategic foreign exchange earning sectors including tourism, agriculture and BPO sectors; AND WHEREAS, the proposed net interest income tax charges desired to be implemented on April 1, 2022, are as seen in the attached Annex; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that, in the urgent context of incentivizing increased bank lending, the National Assembly approves that the Government adjust the rates of tax on receipts prescribed in the Ninth Schedule as proposed in the attached Annex.
5 ANNEX Sector Current Rate New Rate Foreign Exchange Earning Sectors including Tourism, Agriculture & Business Process Outsourcing Real Estate, Building & Construction & Manufacturing Personal Loans Distribution Other 15% 15% 15% 15% 15% 12% 15% 18% 17% 16% Cabinet’s recommendation to be signified.

(Honourable Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment) 3.
Motion to seek to move the Belize Advisory Council to advise Her Excellency the Governor-General to exercise the Prerogative of Mercy, 2022.

Notice given on 22nd March 2022.
WHEREAS, the Belize Constitution empowers Her Excellency the Governor- General to exercise the prerogative of mercy; AND WHEREAS, section 52(1) of the Belize Constitution provides that the Governor-General may grant a pardon, either free or subject to lawful conditions, to any person convicted of any offence; AND WHEREAS, sub-section (2) of the said section 52 further provides that the powers of the Governor-General to grant a pardon under sub-section (1) shall be exercised in accordance with the advice of the Belize Advisory Council; AND WHEREAS, while the Belize Constitution does not explicitly state that such power may be extended to post humous pardons or exonerations, it may be interpreted that the Governor-General has the power to issue a post humous pardon within the jurisdiction of her governance; AND WHEREAS, Nora Parham was executed by British authorities under British law in a British colony, which subsequently was granted independence as the state of Belize; AND WHEREAS, Belize chose to retain the British judicial system in which the exercise of the prerogative of mercy can be extended to persons posthumously as a way of redeeming or righting an injustice that was done in another generation; 6 AND WHEREAS, it is the desire of the present Government to correct the miscarriage of justice that resulted in the death by hanging of Nora Parham and bring closure to that “stain on our history”; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that: 1.
Nora Parham be granted a posthumous pardon; 2.

The sentence of death by hanging imposed on Nora Parham and executed on June 5, 1963, be revoked.

Cabinet’s recommendation to be signified.

(The Honourable Minister of Human Development, Families, and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs) 