26 December 2019 | Legal Affairs

President Danny Faure assented to nine Acts that have recently been approved by the National Assembly during a ceremony held at State House this morning.

The Acts approved by the National Assembly were received on Monday 23 December 2019 and includes The Appropriation Act 2020, Supplementary Appropriation Act 2019, the Seychelles Pension Fund (Amendment) Act 2019, the International Trade Zone (Amendment) Act 2020, the Corporate Social Responsibility Tax (Amendment) act 2019, the Tourism Marketing Tax (Amendment) Act 2019, the Alcoholic Drinks Control Act 2019, the Lighting of Fires (Restriction) Act 2019 and Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commissions (Amendment) Act 2019.

The first was theAppropriation Act for 2020, which provides the budget for the running of Government in 2020. Cabinet approved the Appropriation Bill on 9th October 2019, and it has been passed by the National Assembly, with amendments on the 6th of December 2019. The total sum approved by the National Assembly is SCR 9,230,765,399.61.

The second Act is theSupplementary Appropriation Act 2019which amounts to SCR976,107,975.61 and provides for additional budget amounts proposed by Government in June 2018, October 2018 and December 2019.

Followed by theTruth, Reconciliation & National Unity (Amendment) Act 2019,which now specifies that the Truth, National Reconciliation & Unity Commission will now include only one non-Seychellois, and six other Commissioners. Previously it required two non-Seychellois and five Seychellois Commissioners. The Bill was approved by Cabinet on 27th November, and by the National Assembly on 11th December 2019.

TheSeychelles Pension Fund (Amendment) Act 2019sets a limit on the amount of money that the Seychelles Pension Fund may use for investments, and the value of assets that the SPF may dispose of, without prior approval of the Minister responsible for Finance. The Bill was approved by Cabinet on 27th November, and approved, with amendments, by the National Assembly on 11th December 2019.

TheLighting of Fires Bill 2019was approved by the Cabinet on 16th October 2019. This Act sets clear conditions under which open fires may be lit. It was approved by the National Assembly on 11th December 2019.

TheAlcoholic Drinks Control Act 2019was approved in principle by Cabinet on15thMay 2019. The Bill was aimed at limiting the hours of sale, and the conditions of sale, of alcohol to the public. There followed a series of consultations with stakeholders after which the Bill was gazetted on 3rdJune 2019. It was approved by the National Assembly on 12th December 2019.

TheCorporate Social Responsibility Tax (Amendment) Act 2019re-defines how the termisto be interpreted by businesses in the determination of CSR Tax. The Bill was approved by Cabinet in April, 2019, and by the National Assembly on 17th December 2019.

TheTourism Marketing Tax (Amendment) Act 2019,which also clarifies how business turnover will be determined in respect of Travel Agents and Destination Management Companies. The Bill was also approved by Cabinet in April 2019, and by the National Assembly on 18th December 2019.

Lastly, theInternational Trade Zone (Amendment) Act 2019amends the conditions of licence for SITZ companies. Cabinet approved the principles of this Act as far back as 9th December 2017, but this followed a series of consultations with stakeholders before final gazetting in December 2018. The Bill was approved by the National Assembly on 18th December 2019.

Present at State House for the signing, was the Minister for Health, Mr Jean-Paul Adam, Minister for Environment, Energy and Climate Change, Mr Wallace Cosgrow, the Attorney General, Mr Frank Ally, the Secretary of State Cabinet Affairs, Mr Mohammed Afif, Principal Secretary for Environment, Mr Alain DeCommarmond, Principal Secretary for Health, Dr Bernard Valentin and theCommissioner General of the Seychelles Revenue Commission, Ms Veronique Herminie.

Read the original here:

President Faure Assents to Nine Acts approved by the National Assembly - Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles