An Act to make provision about elections to and membership of the National Assembly for Wales; to make provision about the Welsh Assembly Government; to make provision about the setting by the Assembly of rates of income tax to be paid by Welsh taxpayers and about the devolution of taxation powers to the Assembly; to make related amendments to Part 4A of the Scotland Act 1998; to make provision about borrowing by the Welsh Ministers; to make miscellaneous amendments in the law relating to Wales; and for connected purposes.
Devolving
stamp duty,
business rates and
landfill tax to Wales and enabling the
Welsh Assembly to replace them with new taxes specific to Wales.[5] Further taxes can also be devolved, with the agreement of the UK Parliament and the Welsh Assembly.
Providing for a
referendum in Wales on whether an element of
income tax should be devolved. If there is a vote in favour then the Welsh Assembly will be able to set a Welsh income tax rate. Fluctuations in revenues will be managed by new borrowing powers for Welsh Ministers.
Extending Welsh Assembly terms permanently from four to five years in order to reduce the chance of Assembly elections clashing with general elections to the Westminster Parliament as a result of the
Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011.
Removing the prohibition on candidates in Welsh Assembly elections from standing in a constituency and also being on the regional list.
Formally changing the Welsh Assembly Government’s name to the
Welsh Government.
Clarifying the position of the
First Minister between dissolution of the Assembly and an Assembly election.
Allowing Welsh Ministers to set a limit for the amount of housing debt that individual local housing authorities in Wales may hold. The UK
Treasury will limit the total Welsh housing debt.
Requiring the
Law Commission to provide advice and information to Welsh Ministers on the
law reform matters that they referred to the Commission.