2019/20 Budget Communication Final Budget Communication | Page 37

In line with our efforts to modernize a number of Government systems and procedures,
we have found value in making legal provisions for the new Electronic Single Window, commonly
called Click2Clear, as referenced earlier. As such, we will amend the Customs Management Act
to legally require registration on the Click2Clear website, using the Single Window Application.
Moreover, a new single Tax Commission will be created under the Tax Appeal
Commission Bill, 2019, which will oversee all taxation appeals in an effort to promote tax fairness.
Such a move is in keeping with the Government’s objective of improving the ease of doing
business and enhancing the administration of taxes.
In the past, we have had several separate review boards for appeals made to each of
the types of tax in our current regime. However, only a few of them were commissioned or
functional. The changes in this legislation will now set up a single Tax Commission that will act
as an umbrella for the appeals for a number of different tax types, including appeals for Customs,
Business Licence, Real Property Tax, and Value Added Tax. The Commission will be
appropriately staffed and hear tax appeals promptly. The current members of the VAT appeals
commission will become the Tax Commissioners for this new entity.
The final measure that will require administrative changes in the legislation, includes
amendments to the Family Island Development Encouragement Act, and the City of Nassau
Revitalization Act. We will extend these Acts, which are set to expire on June 30, 2019, for a two-
year period to allow for more effective planning.
I will now turn to a summary of some of the measures we have taken that are
administrative in nature, and will also help to increase the Government’s revenue intake in due
course.
The recent growth in the vacation home rental market has attracted the Government’s
attention for several reasons. Understandably, the preferred type of accommodation for tourists
globally has taken a turn from hotels, to short-term rentals. For the most part, these rentals are
facilitated using a marketplace such as Airbnb, HomeAway, and VRBO, among others. We are
pleased to see the market growing in this way, as it presents opportunities for many Bahamians to
create a new stream of income, while adding capacity to our number one industry.
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