Part of 11. 9. Debate: Stage 3 of the Land Transaction Tax and Anti-avoidance of Devolved Taxes (Wales) Bill – in the Senedd at 4:36 pm on 28 March 2017.
Steffan Lewis
Plaid Cymru
4:36,
28 March 2017
Thank you, Llywydd. This introduces a new subsection to section 24 relating to tax rates and bands, and the impact would be to allow local authorities to make representations and innovative proposals on land transaction bands and rates to be considered by the Welsh Government. The Bill provides a golden opportunity for us to actually implement the tax in relation to the policy objectives of the Government, but also in relation to the various requirements of the various communities of Wales.
There’s a major opportunity here for the Government and local authorities. The intention of our Amendment, therefore, is to ensure that local authorities can look at the possibilities of this Bill and make representations to the Welsh Government in the hope of realising such possibilities. For example, it’s possible that a local authority may identify a need to vary the highest rate on additional residential properties within specific residential areas. It’s reasonable, therefore, that a local authority should make representations to the Welsh Government on that kind of variation to the tax, and this amendment safeguards the ability to do that in future and to do so formally, of course. I hope that there will be an appreciation across the Chamber that what we’re doing here is trying to be creative and to see whether there are ways and means of using our new fiscal powers—minor powers as they are at present—in order to implement the broader policy objectives. We on these benches will be interested to hear the response of the Cabinet Secretary.
As a bill passes through Parliament, MPs and peers may suggest amendments - or changes - which they believe will improve the quality of the legislation.
Many hundreds of amendments are proposed by members to major bills as they pass through committee stage, report stage and third reading in both Houses of Parliament.
In the end only a handful of amendments will be incorporated into any bill.
The Speaker - or the chairman in the case of standing committees - has the power to select which amendments should be debated.
As a bill passes through Parliament, MPs and peers may suggest amendments - or changes - which they believe will improve the quality of the legislation.
Many hundreds of amendments are proposed by members to major bills as they pass through committee stage, report stage and third reading in both Houses of Parliament.
In the end only a handful of amendments will be incorporated into any bill.
The Speaker - or the chairman in the case of standing committees - has the power to select which amendments should be debated.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
