Page 2558 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 23 August 1994
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STAMP DUTIES AND TAXES (AMENDMENT) BILL 1994
Debate resumed from 19 May 1994, on motion by Ms Follett:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
MR KAINE (9.37): Madam Speaker, the Opposition supports this Bill. It is a sensible Bill which recognises the fact that in this modern world not all transactions are carried out by writing things on bits of paper and that there are things called computers, electronic transfers and the like. It seeks, essentially, to recognise an electronic transfer as the record of a transaction and the means by which duty on such a transaction can be levied. I note that there is uniform legislation being enacted by all of the States and Territories and that 1 September is the start date for all of these pieces of legislation across Australia to be put into effect. Clearly, if the legislation is not passed within the next two or three days, the ACT Government will have trouble falling into line with the rest of the country. It is a sensible piece of legislation. On the face of it, although the Government does not claim it, I suppose that one could argue that, by using the records of electronic transfers as the basis for your duty collection, you may be even more efficient and more effective at collecting the duty that is payable than if you are relying on handwritten records. So there could well be a small bonus for the Government in adopting this system, which could make their revenue collection a bit more efficient. The Opposition supports the Bill.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Detail Stage
Bill, by leave, taken as a whole
MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister and Treasurer) (9.39): Madam Speaker, I wish to move amendments to the Stamp Duties and Taxes (Amendment) Bill. I also seek leave to table a supplementary explanatory memorandum which accompanies the proposed amendments to the Bill.
MADAM SPEAKER: Is leave granted for Ms Follett to move those amendments together and to present the supplementary explanatory memorandum?
Mr Humphries: No, Madam Speaker, it is not. We have not seen these amendments. We have no idea what they are about. This has come out of the blue - - -
MS FOLLETT: I am about to tell you.
Mr Humphries: We would like to have a look at them beforehand. We have not even seen them.
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