America’s Cup Bill: Vehicles, Exemptions & More
The America’s Cup legislation introduced in the House last Friday permits the America’s Cup Event Authority [ACEA] to import up to 80 motor vehicles up to limousine size and exempts ACEA from any fees payable under the Air Navigation Regulations 2012 in relation to helicopters and drones.
The legislation was introduced in the last session of the House of Assembly by Minister of Economic Development Dr Grant Gibbons, who said it ”makes provision for the legislative amendments required for Bermuda to deliver its commitment to facilitate and assist in the conduct of the 35th America’s Cup in Bermuda.”
The bill permits America’s Cup Event Authority [ACEA] and its designated commercial partners to “import and licence for use on the road without paying any licence duty or fee which would otherwise be payable under the Motor Car Act 1951, a total of 12 motor vehicles up to Class H size and 80 motor vehicles up to limousine size.
“This is subject to conditions in subsection [2], including the condition that no fee is to be charged in respect of the use of the vehicles and that the 80 vehicles are driven only by a person falling within the definition of Bermudian labour.”
The bill also “exempts ACEA and its designated commercial partners from any fees payable under the Air Navigation [Fees for Certificates and Services] Regulations 2012 in relation to helicopters and drones brought to Bermuda for the purposes of the Bermuda events.”
Clause 8 of the bill said, “That if an occasional licence is granted for a closed off area of Front Street in Hamilton for a Bermuda Event, alcohol sales will be permitted in that area provided that there is no public access for motor vehicles to that area…”
Bermuda will be hosting the America’s Cup in 2017, and it has been predicted that the island will benefit from approximately $250 million in additional on-island spending from hosting the America’s Cup.
The full America’s Cup Act 2014 — as tabled — follows below [PDF here]:
Bring on 2017!! Time to be proud Bermuda!
Its always time to be proud.
true true
Many Thanks to the OBA Government for advising us what the AC35 will not be paying for…..Now if we can get a report/statement/ anything telling us how the government intents to fund the building of the infrastructure to host said event…..
Once again, you aren’t reading correctly.
Alcohol sales will be permitted on a closed off street lined with bars and liquor stores.
So this means the oracle team won’t be renting scooters AND don’t have to wait at tcd? Where can I sign up for that?
I’m interested in the health practitioner clauses – I wonder if that suggests we should construct a West End facility for any extra medical issues that may arise, closer to the AC venue in Dockyard, for use by the doctors/nurses the teams are bringing in.
For all the entrepreneurs looking to produce America’s Cup themed shirts and other miscellaneous trinkets, watch out, the branding guidelines are in place.
Oh boy….the naysayers are going to love this stuff. Of course what they miss is, if the AC was not coming here how much revenue would Government be getting from the AC? How much hotel occupancy tax would they be getting from empty hotel rooms that do not have AC people & spectators in them? How much duty would the Government not be collecting when AC people sell off slightly used equipment to Bermudians who then pay duty on the sale price?
It goes on & on. Way too complex for far too many to understand. They think it will be a flash in the pan business boom for a few weeks then all over.
Triangle Drifter.
The first syndicate to win 8 races.
2 races a day.
2 weeks max.
Not hard
+ the next few years of having teams here living and working
+ permanent boost in our profile for tourism and business
TMI for Bill to grasp
Triangle Drifter
I have sailed for many years, and have followed the America’s Cup in Newport.
I have friends who have sailed in the America’s Cup.
I have friends who are judges on the water in the America’s Cup.
Let me try and explain it to you again, since my first note went in one of your ears and out of the other
First syndicate to win eight races win the Cup.
Two races a day.
Two weeks max if it goes the distance.
Is the math too much for you?
Please do not tell me it;s too much info to handle.
The above is obviously too much for you to handle!
I love how your so convinced it will be a net gain for Bermuda given the massive list of grand concessions, fees and guarantees the government has “mentioned” to date…
I personally believe with us having the new hotel in St. Georges and all of the people expected to be visiting us over the next few (and possibly onward) years it will be wise to re-open the supermarket out on the former base-lands, (where Whites had been located)Obviously the little store in St. Georges,(Supermart?) isn’t nor will be adequate to handle the influx of visitors etc.
Well, get some investors together and go open it.
@ Onion: Things are presently a bit slow for me so I’ll fall into your “net”. Why don’t you let me / us know who you are and just maybe we can negotiate some type of deal?
The ball is now in your court…
Eighty Limos? Perhaps if Bermuda hadn’t had the worst taxi service in the world over the last few decades, they might have gotten a piece of this. Kama’s a *****.
@ Café Au Lait: There will be ample work available to keep local cab drivers busy…
RR: There always was and there is now. Its just that the taxi industry is so badly run – they’d have trouble organizing a piss up at Goslings.
The drivers want to work on their terms not the customers terms therefore we now have mini buses & gypsy cab to take up the slack.
AC people will want transport & want it NOW, even if now is 2AM or 4AM.
Triangle is correct: Taxi drivers only want to drive when they feel like it, and they act like they are doing the passenger a favour. The taxi drivers themselves are directly responsible for the mess the industry is in. They deservedly have the reputation of being unreliable to the point of non existence. Taxi driver only have themselves to blame. But believe me, the moaning and complaining by taxi drivers has not even started yet. Bunch of spoiled children.
Yes there is work for them, the only problem is they will have to SHOW UP!
I guess the branding police will be out in force, totally understandable but it’s going to hit the guys who were planning on making a quick buck or two out of t-shirts. Got not real qualms with all this.
well, at least they’ll still have Cup Match.
On a serious note, hopefully some locals will be able to become official/licenced Bermuda distributor of whatever AC-related collectibles they would be keen to promote (scarves? pendants? cedar-work?)
I’ve got a couple of questions, but I haven’t yet read the whole amendment which I’ll do when I have more time.
Who gets to drive these vehicles? While I understand the need for limosine sized, if there is a driver necessary, that person should come from the community who is familiar with our roads, rules and locations.
Also, what happens to these vehicles after the fact, will they be gifted, sold, or removed from the island?
Good questions…
It clearly states these things in the Act. You only have to look…
It says that the limo-size vehicles, of which 80 can be imported, must be driven at all times by Bermudian Labour as defined. They can only be used to transport people involved in the events. It also says the vehicles must be exported out of Bermuda as soon as the event is over.
Here, this should help. It’s part of the story above.
“This is subject to conditions in subsection [2], including the condition that no fee is to be charged in respect of the use of the vehicles and that the 80 vehicles are driven only by a person falling within the definition of Bermudian labour.”
Thanks James. Engaging brain before putting typing fingers in motion is almost a lost art. Strange how some folks look for only the negative side of any story. The fact that we will have 80 vehicles driven only by “Bermudian labour” really jumped off the page to me. But some conveniently missed it. I wonder why?
Commodore JB of BBI Royal Yacht club has announced that he will be bringing in his new Mercedes-Maybach S600 as a result of this new legislation. Once he takes delivery of it he will organise a parade to show off his exclusive new land yacht that most people only dream of owning. AC2017!!! Let’s have it. BBI Royal Yacht Club all the way!!!
baah , my collection of Bugatti Veyrons are already here . I do need to spiff them up a bit seeing I’ve been using them as landscaping support vehicles in my estate .
Let’s hope they don’t try driving these giant cars down the bottom end of Harbour Road!
Well , they don’t enforce the no ‘H’ registration restrictions as it is despite it having been posted for over 2 years now , so it’ll probably be a case of carry on as normal.
To the detriment of everyone else who can read and can’t stand being pushed into the walls by oncoming over sized vehicles driven by the brainless . (And that includes vehicles other than just H registrations also )
Well according to Bill above it will only affect us for 2 weeks. He says he knows everything about AC. Hardly worth all the worry is it.? Personally I know “he” is wrong. The impact on bermuda will be transformational. What bill fails to acknowledge is that the lead up to the finals will include up to 1000 team members and families living on island starting in the new year and challenger races too. Too much to mention from my iPhone but it will impact even Bill whether he wants to admit it it or not.
As much as I love the AC and what it brings can we just hope we don’t sell our souls please
Any mention of blowing up some of the rocks out in the Great Sound? Also, will the turtle grass be protected?