of $50 to $2,500 is set to be repealed.

"Following an in-depth assessment of long-term implications of the Profession Registration Act, the Government has determined not to proceed with the commencement of the tax,'' Finance Minister Grant Gibbons said yesterday, adding that a bill repealing the tax will be tabled in the House of Assembly today.

Under the law announced in the February 15 Budget, every registered member of a professional organisation would have had to pay the tax, which ranged from $50 a year for nurses, occupational therapists and radiographers to $2,500 for doctors.

The tax was adjusted after being announced -- to exempt young professionals from paying the fees in their first three years of practice and to postpone its introduction which was originally slated for January, 1996.

Dr. Gibbons said he decided to defer the law's start until January of the following year after meeting with a number of professional associations who voiced their concerns.

"A number of issues were raised which made it difficult to proceed at that point,'' he said.

Upon looking at the Act further, he continued, there were a number of unintended consequences.

The taxes would have been collected through each professional's association which had led to members resigning from their organisations to avoid the possibility of being taxed.

Dr. Gibbons said there was no wish to weaken these associations.

And professionals involved in teaching, managing and administration were excluded under the tax as they did not have recognised professional bodies.

"The Government considered that the social and administrative costs outweighed the potential benefits,'' said Dr. Gibbons.

Government is expected to table its long-awaited domestic violence bill today.

The bill, modelled on domestic violence laws in Quincy, Massachusetts, will increase penalties and make it possible for Police to prosecute cases without the permission of the complainant.