Environmental Levy bill withdrawn, replaced in Senate after error flagged

Debate on a bill titled ‘The Environmental Levy Act 2026’ had to be suspended today in the Senate, and the proposed statute withdrawn and replaced, as the document that was first before the Upper House was not a money bill.

This cock-up triggered a stern warning from acting Leader of Opposition Business Dr Floyd Morris, who described the error as unfortunate.

Lengthy presentations were made on the bill, and the senators had taken a lunch break to resume deliberations on the Environmental Levy Act 2026.

However, during the break, The Gleaner has been reliably informed that an Opposition lawmaker detected that the proposed statute that was debated was not certified as a money bill.

On resumption, acting Leader of Government Business in the Senate Dr Dana Morris Dixon said the version of the bill that was circulated was not the correct one.

She subsequently withdrew the bill that “was erroneously tabled earlier” and sought leave to table the correct version.

Morris Dixon pointed out that the “certificate” on the front page of the bill that certifies it as a money bill was not in place.

Floyd Morris later suggested that the debate be suspended and the bill withdrawn.

However, he said it was “a serious and egregious error” for the bill to be tabled without the appropriate certification.

He indicated that errors like this occur and go undetected up to the point of debate because some bills are tabled and passed in a rush, and lawmakers on both sides of the political divide do not get an opportunity to scrutinise them before deliberations begin.

The acting Leader of Opposition Business said he hoped such an error does not recur, as it represented an “egregious breach”.

In a quick response, Morris Dixon said “this kind of administrative error is a big deal and should never have happened”.

The bill seeks to implement an environmental protection levy on imported and locally manufactured goods.

The objects and reasons of the bill state that the environmental protection levy is aimed at mitigating the negative impact on the environment arising from the consumption, use and disposal of imported and locally manufactured goods.

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