A bill that critics fear will lead to “death by financial strangulation” for the Corporation of Hamilton was tabled in the House of Assembly this evening.

Government backbenchers stalled the Municipalities Reform Act 2010 last week, with many said to be against it.

However, the legislation was approved at a caucus meeting on Wednesday night. The move prompted the City Hall flag to fly upside down yesterday — the international signal of distress.

Earlier today, Minister without Portfolio Zane DeSilva said the bill’s intent was to remove the last vestiges of the property vote and stop corporations from levying wharfage fees.

He said there had been a “vicious and misleading public relations campaign compliments of the Corporation of Hamilton”.

But, he said, the bill is about “eliminating privilege and increasing accountability in the corporations” of Hamilton and St. George.

The bill is likely to be debated next Friday.

Mayor of Hamilton Charles Gosling says it would remove $8 million a year from the Corporation of Hamilton’s revenue, if passed.

He said it would also strip the Island’s capital of hundreds of thousands of dollars more in property tax by changing the city boundaries to exclude areas such as Par-la-Ville car park, Bermudiana Road and Albuoy’s Point.

For the full story read tomorrow's Royal Gazette.