Page 4041 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 24 November 1993
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Wednesday, 24 November 1993
_____________________________
MADAM SPEAKER (Ms McRae) took the chair at 10.30 am and read the prayer.
PAPER
MS ELLIS: I ask for leave to present a petition which does not conform with standing orders as it does not address the Assembly or contain a request.
Leave granted.
MS ELLIS: I present an out-of-order petition from 1,762 residents demanding free education for all, no sacking of teachers, more funding for education, not less, and that classes such as languages, music and art be a right, not a privilege.
STAMP DUTIES AND TAXES (AMENDMENT) BILL (NO. 4) 1993
MR KAINE (10.32): Madam Speaker, I present the Stamp Duties and Taxes (Amendment) Bill (No. 4) 1993.
Title read by Clerk.
MR KAINE: I move:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
I think members will be well aware of the reasons why I have brought forward this private members Bill today. It is only about a month ago that we debated the Government's amendment to this Act, which introduced certain changes to which some exception was taken by the business community. Two of the matters that are the subject of my amendment today were raised in a letter from the Law Society to the Chief Minister that was received during the debate on that Bill. Members will recall that we adjourned the debate for 24 hours so that the Chief Minister could acquaint herself with the contents of that letter. However, she refused to accept the argument put forward by the Law Society, and the Bill went through in the form presented by the Government.
The Chief Minister argued at the time, in particular, on the question of the length of tenure of a lease and when it was reasonable for it to be regarded as a conveyance. She said, and I quote from the Hansard of 21 October:
... the Government did choose the 15-year period. It was chosen to provide some balance between the planning needs of business ... and the need to provide some equity in the tax arrangements.
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