By FAY SIMMONS

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

THE private sector is dealing with too much “stress” to participate in the National Apprenticeship Programme, said former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday.

Dr Minnis said during his contribution to the National Apprenticeship Bill in Parliament yesterday that the government’s decision to discontinue the Economic Empowerment Zone legislation passed by his administration has led to many individuals losing their jobs.

Mr Minnis argued the “Over the Hill” programme aided the apprenticeship programme by creating employment opportunities. He said the programme spent $129,419 to fund 49 businesses and they in turn employed 142 workers and generated $4.9m.

He said: “We had the Over the Hill programme which created jobs and subsequently helped the apprenticeship programs. The Over the Hill programme declared that certain zones were tax free. Forty-nine individuals at that time were funded, forty-nine were funded the tune of $129,419 and those was 49 individuals created 142 jobs and could have expanded even further and they generated $4.8m.

“That programme and subsequently individuals would have lost their job as the Over the Hill programme was stopped by the government.”

The Davis administration failed to renew the Economic Empowerment Zone once it expired on June 30, 2023.

Financial Secretary Simon Wilson reassured businesses that merchants, property owners and households living in those areas can still access the same tax breaks via other incentive-related legislation such as the Tariff Act.

He said: “The benefits in that Act were not unique to that Act. The benefits are still available under the Tariff Act and other Acts. Nobody is losing anything. They are still available. Businesses that apply for the benefits are granted them under the Tariff Act and other legislation.

“The Economic Empowerment Zone legislation did not provide new benefits. It took benefits that existed under the Tariff Act and other pieces of legislation. People didn’t access it because they were getting the same thing all along. It wasn’t accessing something they couldn’t get before under the Tariff Act.”

Dr Minnis yesterday argued benefits such as duty-free construction or expansion materials, duty-free business vehicles and no business licence fees are not covered under the tariff act and that businesses are being impacted by the increases in taxes and fees and cannot participate in the National Apprenticeship Programme due to their “stress”.

He said: “The Financial Secretary made a statement that the benefits within the Over the Hill programme you can still retrieve or obtained via the tariff code. Madam Speaker, I have the tariff code here and at the end I will table to show that the financial secretary was incorrect.

“There was no charge for business licence, you brought in your materials for construction or expansion duty free. Once the car for the business was attached to the business, there were no duty for the car.

“This is only through the Over the Hill incentive programme of which you stopped, you stopped. The business sector is screaming today, their businesses are being impacted, so they can’t participate in any apprenticeship program with the stress that they’re going through.”

Mr Minnis said there is still a high unemployment rate among young people and a “well-organised and well-funded” apprenticeship programme could reduce unemployment but questioned how the legislation will be implemented.

He said “We still have chronically high unemployment among young people. In the May 2023 labour force survey, it was noted that unemployment for young men was 19.2 percent and for young women, the figure was 18.2 percent.

“A well-organised and well-funded apprenticeship program could help drive down youth unemployment over time. I repeat, a well-organised and well-funded, accredited apprenticeship program could help drive down youth unemployment over time. I stress well-organised and well-funded.

“Legislation alone is insufficient. Talk is insufficient. Public relations is not enough. The government likes to talk big and then do very little. How will this legislation be put into effect?”