Francis Fonseca on Trade License Reform Legislation

Francis Fonseca

During last Friday’s house meeting, the shelved trade license reform legislation was reintroduced. In 2022, there was pushback by parliamentarians, as well as persons in the creative industry and peddlers, who felt that they would have been subject to trade license fees. Currently, businesses in villages do not pay a fee and the bill seeks to introduce this to establishments that are upwards of six hundred square feet. During the second and third readings of the bill, the government explained that the new regime will boost business development in villages and strengthen local governing bodies. Education Minister Francis Fonseca says that peddlers within urban areas also won’t be paying a ten-dollar fee when the bill kicks in.  Here’s how he explains.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education

“That’s something that I think a lot of people missed; very important, very important. So the bill, and the minister I think was at great pains to explain that in the house, that in fact the bill is removing the pressure on these small peddlers and saying listen you people, if you go to all these big villages – Ladyville is a good example, if you go to Hopkins, Seine Bight, all these – you see big shops, big Chinese shops, you see all sorts of other shops in these communities and these people are not paying any taxes, any license fees. So that’s the whole purpose of the bill, to shift that burden away from these small peddlers onto those who can afford to pay and should be paying. So I think it is an absolutely progressive and equitable piece of legislation.”