Legislation to dissolve and reappoint the Tax Reform Commission was among several amendments approved by Parliamentarians in the latest sitting of the House of Assembly.

The Tax Reform Commission (Dissolution, Appointment and Validation) Act 2024, tabled by David Burt, the Premier, was intended to retroactively dissolve the original commission.

The legislation would also make legal the present commission, which was empanelled on November 10 last year and has been in operation since.

Once enacted, the new measure will mean that the Tax Reform Commission appointed in 2018 shall be deemed to have been dissolved that year, upon the delivery of its final report and recommendations to lawmakers.

The Bill notes that last November, a new “body which was purportedly empanelled by the Minister of Finance” as the new Tax Reform Commission, exercised or performed official functions, duties or operations which then retroactively “shall be deemed to have been validly exercised or performed”.

The House also voted to approve the Health Insurance (Health System Strengthening Fund) Amendment Act 2024, which would create a fund to be used to help advance healthcare on the island.

Walter Roban, the Minister of Home Affairs, said the legislation was part of Government’s efforts to help address the high cost of and inequitable access to healthcare.

The fund would be used to build a core benefits package and develop strategies to be used to advance healthcare initiatives.

“We can liken the healthcare system to a human body,” he said. “When the body is unhealthy, it is often a sign of imbalance or dysfunction within one or more systems.

“Similarly high costs, inequitable access or inefficient service delivery in the healthcare system indicate that we have underlying systemic problems.

“Health system strengthening aims to go beyond treating symptoms to strengthen the entire system, prevent future problems and promote overall wellbeing.”

Monies for the fund would come out of the excess borrowing fund and be managed by the Health Insurance Committee.

The House also approved the Companies and Limited Liability Company Amendment Act 2024, which will remove “the requirement for companies and limited liability companies to obtain the consent of the Minister of Finance for certain landholding for a term up to 21 years”.

Jason Hayward, the Minister of Economy and Labour, said the change was intended to cut back red tape for companies who wish to lease residential or recreational space for their employees.

The legislation also removes the $100 fee for making such a request for consent.

He told the house that the Government receives less than 25 applications for consent a year, and there was not one recorded case in which consent was not granted.