STATUTORY BOARDS (TAXABLE SERVICES) (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read. 5.35 pm

The Minister of State for Finance (Mr Lee Yock Suan): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

From 1st January 1982, a surcharge of 20% of the electricity bill was imposed on owners of centrally air-conditioned commercial buildings who fail to achieve an Overall Thermal Transfer Value standard of less than 45 w/sq m.

Most owners of buildings have complied with this requirement but there is a residual number of recalcitrant owners who despite all appeals have not taken steps to comply with the energy conservation standard. It is, therefore, proposed to raise the surcharge from 20% to 50% to bring home to these owners the seriousness of our energy conservation efforts.

Section 3(1A) of the Statutory Boards (Taxable Services) Act is amended to reflect the increased surcharge.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question proposed.

Mr Jeyaretnam: Mr Speaker, Sir, I am rising not really to oppose what this Bill proposes to do because I am all in favour of the efforts by the Government to conserve energy and to cut down waste. But if I may, Mr Speaker, with your permission, speak on something which does not directly come under this Bill; but nevertheless is related to it and is relevant. And that is this.

Mr Speaker: You say it is not related to the Bill?

Mr Jeyaretnam: Not on the point of this energy conservation surcharge.

Mr Speaker: But is it related to the Bill at all?

Mr Jeyaretnam: Mr Speaker, Sir, this Bill proposes, as the Minister has said, to increase the surcharge from 20% to 50%. As I said, I do not really have any quarrel with that. But I want to talk, if I may, Mr Speaker, Sir, with your permission, on the method of how this is achieved, and that is the delegation of a power which really belongs to Parliament. It is on that that I wish to speak. I have been trying to raise this in this sitting and the last sitting by a Motion on the Adjournment, but I have not been successful.

Mr Speaker: But is it related to this particular Bill, Mr Jeyaretnam?

Mr Jeyaretnam: It is, Mr Speaker. But not on the question of the surcharge.

Mr Speaker: I am quite dense today, Mr Jeyaretnam. You say it is not related whatsoever to this Bill and yet you want to talk about something which is completely different.

Mr Jeyaretnam: If you try and confine this to the narrow purpose of the Bill, of course, then I suppose -

Mr Speaker: That is what we are on now.

Mr Jeyaretnam: But I am concerned with the way this is being applied, the delegation of a power to raise tax which is given to the Minister. It is on that that I wish to speak because, quite apart from the surcharge, section 3 of this Act gives the Minister the power to levy a tax on services provided by the statutory boards. I wish to speak on that and, generally, on the principle of delegating a power which belongs to this House or this Parliament to the Executive.

Mr Speaker: You cannot expect an answer from the Minister at all.

Mr Jeyaretnam: Well, I do. not know whether the Minister will be able to give an answer to that or not. But I wish to speak on it in this House.

Mr Speaker: But the Minister is not moving a Bill on this particular subject.

Mr Jeyaretnam: As I said, Mr Speaker, Sir, I have tried to raise this, but I see that since I started this practice of raising a Matter on the Motion for the Adjournment, it has become popular. And for the last two meetings, we have had to have a ballot and I lost out on the ballot.

Mr Speaker: Why not ballot again on some other occasion, instead of deviating from this particular Bill?

Mr Jeyaretnam: Mr Speaker, I do not propose to argue with you. I accept your ruling. But may I ask that I be given the opportunity to speak on the next Motion for the Adjournment?

Mr Speaker: Well, you must be fair on this. That is not democratic, is it not?

Mr Jeyaretnam: Mr Speaker, Sir, if I may urge upon your consideration; you have got to consider that the composition of this House -

Mr Speaker: Perhaps you may urge upon the other Members not to move a Motion the next time. It is not up to me to say you can speak the next time. I am a democrat, you know!

Mr Jeyaretnam: But the arrangement of business must be in your hands, Mr Speaker, Sir, and I am asking you to consider that the composition of the House is no longer what it was before the 31st October, 1981. I am saying that the Opposition must be given an equal chance with the Government. That is my point, Mr Speaker, Sir.

Some hon. Members: No.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr Lee Yock Suan].

Bill considered in Committee. 5.42 pm

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Clause 1 -

The Chairman: The citation year will be altered from "1983" to "1984".

Clause 1 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 2 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Bill reported without amendment; read a Third Time and passed.