A number of pieces of transport-themed legislation has been approved by MPs.

The Miscellaneous Taxes (Rates) Amendment Act increases the rate of air passenger departure tax from $25 to $35 and the yacht arrival tax from $15 to $35.

The last increases to these taxes were in 2001 and 1998 respectively, according to Finance Minister Paula Cox.

She said the rise in air departure tax could be justified at this point in order to support the 2008/2009 budget as "during the intervening period the cost of staying abreast of international compliance standards for international airports has increased.

"The L.F. Wade International Airport has been impacted by these rising costs that are related to passenger safety requirements including security."

She told the House of Assembly the increase in the tax, due to take effect on April 1, is expected to yield an additional $5 million in 2008/2009.

Shadow Finance Minister E.T. (Bob) Richards questioned what impact the move would have amid efforts to rejuvenate the tourism industry, with Opposition Leader Kim Swan saying Government needs to keep the cost of visiting Bermuda down.

The approval of Parliament is also needed in order for Police equipment to test suspected drunk drivers to be deemed "approved by the Minister of Transport".

For this reason, the MPs passed a draft order entitled the Road Traffic (Approved Instrument) Order to allow officers to use a new device.

Premier and Minister of Transport Ewart Brown explained the high-tech DataMaster DMT machine uses "infrared energy" to detect alcohol in breath samples.

He was unable to answer a question from Shadow Minister of Transport Shawn Crockwell as to how much the new equipment will cost, but told him: "Since we know we're on a tight budget, we will only order the exact number that's required and that's specified by the Director of TCD."

The Merchant Shipping (Fees) Amendment Regulations were also approved by the House.

These will not result in any changes to fees, according to Dr. Brown, but merely clarify the wording about how the tonnage of vessels is calculated.