Madam President, I beg to move:
That a Bill to establish the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority and for related matters, be now read a second time.
Madam President, as I proceed to pilot the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority Bill, 2021, permit me the opportunity to summarize the long and winding road that has led us, as a country, to this point.
Explanation Re: the Simple Majority Requirement for the Trinidad And Tobago Revenue Authority Bill, 2021
The first Bill to establish the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority was the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority Bill, 2010 which was introduced in Parliament on 29th January, 2010, but lapsed on 8th April, 2010. A second Bill, the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority Bill, 2018, was introduced in Parliament on 25th May, 2018 and referred to a Joint Select Committee of Parliament. Following the debate on the final report of the Joint Select Committee, however, the Bill was withdrawn. A third Bill, the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority Bill, 2019, was introduced in Parliament on 26th November, 2019 but lapsed on 3rd July, 2020.