 Mr. Speaker, I beg to lay the following motion, saying my name, whereas on the section 109.1e of the value added tax at cap 15.42 the act, it provided that the Minister of Finance may by order publish in the gazette among the schedule to the act and whereas it is followed provided on the section 109.2 of the act that an order may pursue on the section 109.1 of the act, is subject on the formative resolution of parliament accept the amendment is to the customs tariff headings only and whereas the Minister of Finance fixed approval of the job value added tax, the Minister scheduled one order, to amend schedule on of the act by the formative resolution of parliament to include at zero rated goods for a period of two years commencing from second day of August 23 and ending on the first day of August 25. and then on the first of august 2025 a supply of goods under the customs tariff headings 3925.90 other added is a plastic semi 2.10 to semi 2.16 steel 8302.41 based metal mountains suitable for buildings be resolved that parliaments by affirmative resolution approved the draft value added tax amendment of schedule one order which amends schedule one of the act to include a zero rated goods for a period of two years commencing from the second day of august 2023 and then on the first of august 2025 a supply of goods under the following customs tariff headings 3925.90 other added is a plastic semi 2.10 to semi 2.16 steel 8302.41 based metal mountains suitable for buildings Mr. Speaker when we were in parliament in fact after my budget my budget statement in April Mr. Speaker I made a point that the government would be introducing a health and security levy and I want to know Mr. Speaker that the former government had also passed a health and security levy but conveniently they have forgotten that that they passed the last government also passed a health and security levy and when we got into government the new government of your party removed that levy because we introduced that Mr. Speaker and the member for Kastry's north at the time he supported it and he has admitted he supported it at the time the same he supports it now because the time is right for it now Mr. Speaker but the problem with the last government is they never want to admit the truth that's the basic problem so they also had passed a health and security levy so Mr. Speaker when we passed a health and security levy we made a point in that goods that were zero rated for that purposes or exempted for that purposes Mr. Speaker there would not have been a health and security levy on these goods let me say that again all goods that were zero rated for that or exempt for that they would not have been a health and security levy on these goods Mr. Speaker then Mr. Speaker we removed that on certain building materials cement steel plywood and galvanized cover material we removed the vat on them Mr. Speaker so Mr. Speaker there are thousands of goods that are important in terms of thousands of goods Mr. Speaker so there were some discrepancies in that some goes on some goes on the customs tariff and you know it's a big book the customs tariff the thousands of goods Mr. Speaker there were some goods where they were under the classification of building materials steel in particular but they were not on the exemplars for the zero rated Mr. Speaker so in the review we found that we had to make these changes and when I passed when I spoke of the health and security levy I made the point that because of the voluminous nature of goods that are important there are going to be some adjustments so what we are doing this morning Mr. Speaker is we are making these adjustments to ensure that the reduction the removal of vat on building materials of all types of building materials and in that case these building materials Mr. Speaker are steel and steel based mountains still based mountains suitable for building Mr. Speaker we are ensuring that these become zero written or exempt so that they can be the health and security levy on them so they can continue to benefit from the removal of vat on the health and security levy Mr. Speaker and Mr. Speaker I want to make a point about the vat removal Mr. Speaker the opposition as usual they have attacked the vat removal on building materials they have attacked it they said that its people don't eat plywood and its for my friends I understand I have the most friends in the world Mr. Speaker the same people were saying that I could not attract investment the same people who were saying I stammering so I cannot attract investment in the leisure the same people were saying that the international community would not take me on the same people now they say that I have so many friends in the business world that I have removed the penalties and interest on taxing and vat for my friends in the commercial sector its going to be leave that the same people you know who were saying I couldn't get investment the same people until I have proven that in my two years more investment is in leisure than the five years Mr. Speaker and these are facts they can't deliver so what they must do is attack me personally thats what they have to do so Mr. Speaker when we removed this and interest on vat and all other levels of taxation to give the private sector a break Mr. Speaker to improve the balance sheets of the private sector because vat due and taxes due are either a direct liability or contingent liability on the business balance sheets in this country Mr. Speaker we removed it for everybody everybody it was not a matter where you have to come to cabinet and apply once you owed vat or you owed taxes or you owed PAY we removed the penalties and interest for everybody but all of a sudden it's for my friends all of a sudden it's for my friends Mr. Speaker so we removed that and I must say many businesses are responding to that call Mr. Speaker but Mr. Speaker we removed vats on some billing materials and on sanitary goods for ladies we removed the vats Mr. Speaker but there is some rumour that the client cannot benefit from the vats removal because of new stock and old stock Mr. Speaker I want to implore the private sector to work with us we have proven to be one of the most business friendly governments Senusha has had both this government and the last government has been we have given the private sector the most generous incentives possible we've never been to any meeting and called any member of the private sector a fool we've never gone to any meeting and shouted at members of the private sector or members of the hotel industry or attacked the executive secretary or the hotel tourism association we've never done that we've never attacked anybody in the national trust we've never refused to employ anybody in the national trust we've never attacked the executive director of the national trust we've been the most friendly government of the business sector they have access to the minister and my studies allow my ministers to do their work they have access to the minister and they have access to me and we had discussions about it Mr. Speaker let me refresh the public of Senusha on how vats works vats is paid at the customs and every 21 days there is a reconciliation of vats paid and vats collected at the end of 21 days if you have collected more vats than you paid you are refunded your money and if the government you collected less vats than you paid the government you give back your money so they got nothing like old stock on new stock because the vats you paid on the old stock on the stock that you have the point of reconciliation is going to balance the level of so I want to say to the members of the private sector work of the government the government has shown a level of generosity never seen before in the history of Senusha never seen before that's the level of generosity we have shown so I want to implore members of the private sector and I must tell you Mr. Speaker I have gotten very good reviews from some private sector enterprises I will mention names here some people have said to me look at what I had to pay in the last week of July look what I am paying now substantial support, substantial help some members of the private sector I applaud them for that but I am not mentioning any names to the speaker but there seems to be and these reports are coming from consumers that when they go to certain stores they are being told they must pay that because it is old stock I do not want to have any conflict in the private sector the private sector is the engine of growth I made my money in the private sector before now I am making none now but I made my money in the private sector before Mr. Speaker so I am an advocate for the private sector in fact they have a friend in this prime minister I don't interfere with them I don't tell clients which lawyer to go to I don't get involved in these things I don't blacklist people I don't tell people if they go to this lawyer or go to this business I won't get a business I don't do that I don't and they can tell you I don't but Mr. Speaker I am begging them to cooperate with the government please please this is a plea for the items where the vat has been removed allow the people to benefit from that concession please the old stock rule is not right is not true you will get your money back when the reconciliation is done there is no old stock there is a cut off point I mean to speak of I made that pronouncement from April and I have had to tell my technocrats the same thing when the minister of finance regardless of who is makes a pronouncement you have to follow up to the pronouncement and the minister of finance you care with I have to say that so the idea that we not and we came back to vanilla resolution vanilla bill to give some time and I did that because I want to cooperate with the private sector you can't tell me you didn't have any time that was said in April and we said it will be implemented in July that was these statements were made in the country's budget by the minister of finance regardless of who the minister of finance is so the idea of you didn't have time is an excuse that I accepted this time because I want to work with the private sector I want to continue to be an engine of growth so I accepted this excuse about time but there is nothing like time in this business a pronouncement by the minister of finance is a policy and the technocrats in the minister of finance the private sector must follow these pronouncements until they are different regardless of who the minister of finance is so Mr Speaker this amendment is to make to ensure that the benefits of the 12.5% reduction in fact everybody benefits so this is why we are making the adjustments and the other one Mr Speaker the other one is the same I don't know if I can't deal with it now but the other one is the same basically the same Mr Speaker but is basically the same but the other one is even more significant in that the other one is helping the manufacturing sector which I know the minister he has a very has a very he is very close to his heart now Mr Speaker I am glad that he brought it up Mr Speaker there is so much hatred in this country their position is stirring there is so much hatred in this country that the members in a manufacturing in all good conscience wrote the minister of finance with some queries because I don't think they were present at the meeting that the minister of finance held in the chamber of commerce they wrote if all good conscience the letter was not did not intend to do any harm they didn't they were asking a question but you know Mr Speaker the letter was leaked to the press and a big story the world is coming down the government don't know what they doing pay again although just trying to create this order trying to create this unity and trying to create confusion because of the hatred their love for power what they call in the ghetto they go well they can't understand that the people rejected them they can't understand it the people have rejected me twice they can't understand it Mr Speaker so everyday everyday so that letter from the manufacturing association that letter made a big fuss so this resolution Mr Speaker is going to clarify that it's going to be some of this goods so the manufacturers can't be on duty affected just like tourism Mr Speaker I must talk about tourism because Mr Speaker the story was the hell for Chicago Levy will affect tourism tourism tourism long letter tourism I don't know what I'm doing I'm affecting the export industry's tourism but the same party next week big press release I'm not taxing tourists you want to believe that you want to believe that Mr Speaker and you have said people are going to support you the leader of the opposition a long letter hell for Chicago Levy will affect tourism the next week his party is saying that they are not taxing tourists enough the same party the same leader I hope it's the same leader so Mr Speaker these two resolutions this resolution that's why it does is tries to streamline it and we may have to come back again when we find some of the goods are affected we have to come back because it's a massive set of goods we are dealing with thousands of goods so we may miss some so we may have to come back but Mr Speaker I'm saying to the private sector work with us and the other bill we say the same thing work with us Mr Speaker and we will make it easier the transition will be smooth but when the minister of finance you make a pronouncement at the next budget I hope that everybody listens and take action to make good your action to make good the goods all the minister of finance Mr Speaker I ask members support this resolution before this on behalf I thank you