Haiti - Economy : The Senate Committee profoundly modifies the budget 2013-2014
After being passed on August 7 by the House of Representatives, Wednesday, Senator Jocelerme Privert, President of the Senatorial Commission "Finance and Budget," announced that the commissioners had completed its review of the Finance Bill 2013-2014 and that profound changes had been made, mainly in new taxes, in order to take account the concerns of different actors in society.
Thus, the Commission recommends inter alia : the adjustments on the rights of passport [rejection of fee of 10,000 gourdes for a 10-year passport], slaughtering of animals for slaughter, the income tax, the tax on rent and royalties on non-built properties and many adjustments of certain rates in the customs tariff. On this last point, the Commission recommends downgrades in particular on the intrans, materials and packaging for products manufactured in Haiti. It also recommends remission of tax of certain imported products. If some seem justified as oil, soap, toothpaste, sanitary napkins, etc... we can only wonder on the reason for the recommended detaxation on luxury goods, which only affects a minority of wealthy in our society...
Note that after the Senate vote, the budget will return to the Lower House to be ratified again, since this year, the Finance Bill must be passed in identical terms by the two Houses.
Recall that this vote should take place no later than September 30, 2013 and given the recess commencing on September 9, President Martelly will have to convene the deputues in National Assembly to the extraordinaryfor the passage of this law, hoping that the latter will not make too much going back and forth between the two houses...
