Two bills, both sponsored by Sen. Adelbert "Bert" Bryan, were considered Tuesday at the Finance Committee meeting. One was tabled indefinitely – the other was held in committee.
The first bill sought to authorize individuals and companies to trade with the government to offset financial obligations. If a company owed excise taxes, and was owed money by the government, the company could negotiate with the tax department to neutralize the debt.
Addressing the Senate on this bill, Attorney General Iver Stridiron said it would create an "administrative nightmare." This sentiment was echoed by all senators present, a quorum made up of Lorraine L. Berry, chairwoman, and David Jones, Roosevelt David and Anne Golden. The senators said the bill would be an "administrative bottleneck," and possibly even an impairment to current bonds.
Post Auditor Campbell Rone Malone said he did not recommend the passage of this bill in its current form, saying it suggested a "barter system."
Ira R. Mills, director of Management and Budget, also testified that he could not accept the bill in its current form. The bill was "tabled indefinitely" on a move by Jones.
The second bill was a proposal to require the Legislature's Post Audit Division to analyze all bills and amendments that affect the revenues of the Virgin Islands government. All senators said they would probably approve of the bill ultimately. However, it was held in committee for further research and work. Senators expressed concerns about the Post Audit Division having sufficient funds to cover the additional responsibility of analyzing all bills.
Bryan was not present for the meeting.
