Editor – Newsgathering
The Government is proposing sweeping increases to fines contained across dozens of laws, with some of the most eye-catching changes targeting offences involving the production of vinegar and coconut products.
The increases are contained in the Finance Bill, 2026, which was laid in Parliament yesterday by Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo. The bill is scheduled for debate in the House of Representatives on June 10 before going to the Standing Finance Committee on June 12.
Among the proposed amendments is an increase in the fine for manufacturing vinegar for sale without a licence under the Spirits and Spirit Compounds Act. That penalty would jump from $2,000 to $8,000, a 300 per cent increase.
The bill also proposes doubling the penalty for manufacturing copra products without a licence under the Copra Products Control Act. The fine would rise from $4,000 to $8,000.
Copra is the dried meat or kernel of a coconut and is used to produce coconut oil and other coconut-based products.
The unusual offences stand out in legislation that otherwise focuses heavily on crime, public safety, environmental protection and business regulation.
The Finance Bill contains higher penalties for a range of offences, including operating a sawmill without a licence, removing timber without a permit, hunting-related violations, tobacco sales offences and breaches of gaming and liquor licence laws.
Under the Tobacco Control Act, penalties would rise sharply. A first offence for activities such as selling tobacco products to minors or displaying tobacco products publicly could attract a fine of $150,000 and nine months’ imprisonment. Repeat offenders could face fines of up to $300,000 and prison terms of up to 27 months.
The bill also introduces a new offence under the Liquor Licences Act for operating more amusement games than permitted, carrying a proposed fine of $25,000 and up to one year in prison.
In a media release yesterday, the Ministry of Finance said the legislation addresses several areas of Government policy, including pension reform for the protective services, tax exemptions for approved pension and annuity plans, revisions to gaming taxes and amendments to the Landlord Business Surcharge.
The ministry also said the bill seeks to strengthen criminal penalties across a wide cross-section of offences as part of the Government’s fight against crime.
However, former finance minister and Opposition MP Colm Imbert yesterday questioned the rationale behind some of the increases.
Speaking at an Opposition media conference in the Parliament, Imbert highlighted the Motor Launches Act, saying the general penalty for offences where no specific punishment is prescribed would increase from $2,000 to $7,500.
“The fine for an unspecified offence or offences where there’s no prescribed penalty under the Motor Launches Act, that’s what a party boat is. A motor launch is something that carries passengers commercially. Used to be $2,000 for where there’s no penalty prescribed, the fine used to be $2,000, it’s now $7,500.
“That’s a 275 per cent increase. What’s the basis for this? Are we going from 2,000 to 7,500 and there’s no prescribed penalty? It’s just an arbitrary thing. If you do anything wrong, any little offence of that act, $7,500, and that’s just one.”
Key fine increases in Finance Bill 2026
• Manufacturing vinegar for sale without a licence: $2,000 → $8,000
• Manufacturing copra products without a licence: $4,000 → $8,000
• Operating more amusement games than permitted: New $25,000 fine and up to one year in prison
• Selling tobacco to minors and related offences: Up to $150,000 and nine months’ imprisonment for a first offence
• Tobacco offences on indictment: Up to $600,000 and three years’ imprisonment
• Removing timber without a permit: $100,000 → $150,000
• Operating a sawmill without a licence: $100,000 → $150,000
• Hunting-related offences: Up to $150,000
• General Motor Launches Act offences: $2,000 → $7,500
• Carrying excess passengers on a vessel: $200 → $1,000
