Parliamentarians participated in a lengthy debate before they passed the Incentives for Job Makers Act 2011 on Friday.OBA MP Shawn Crockwell said he would support the legislation, calling it a positive step, but he expressed numerous concerns with aspects of the amendment.He described the $120,000 fee for a permanent residents certificate as exorbitant and unwelcoming, giving businesses the impression that Bermuda is too expensive a jurisdiction to do business in.He also expressed concern about the manner in which an application is processed, saying the applications would go directly to the Minister.“In this case, we don’t see any level to vet the applications before it goes to the administrative level,” he said. “It can give the application a political factor to it, to it being a political decision.“At the end of the day I think it’s important to get it right and that it achieves the objectives that we are trying to achieve. We don’t think that it achieves that objective, but it’s a step in the right direction.”Shadow Finance Minister Bob Richards echoed the sentiments, saying that to him, the legislation appeared to be put forward “grudgingly”.“We have been talking about, we have been hammering away about making Bermuda more welcoming to businesses,” he said. “I think this is the Government response to that, but I kind of get the sense that it’s a grudging response.“With the restrictions I see here, I would have thought we don’t need this thing very much. You still get the mentality that we want your business, but we want it on our terms.“We don’t have that kind of power anymore.”He also said the amendments would do little to nothing to attract new businesses, only really helping those already established on the Island.Mr Richards argued that the stipulations regarding the number of Bermudians employed directly by the business is less important than the number of people on the Island, saying that the trickle-down effect of more jobs, filled by Bermudians or not, would help support all businesses on the Island.Tourism Minister Wayne Furbert fired back, describing the legislation as “significant and progressive,” saying: “It shows that there is a government out there that really cares.”He accused the opposition of criticising the PLP’s plan while not putting forward their own, saying that in 1998 the UBP was more concerned about “new whites coming into the country” than the good of the country, an allegation immediately refuted.He said the PLP Government was moving forward with the good of the public and the international business community at heart.OBA leader Craig Cannonier expressed his support for the amendments, saying that while there are areas for improvement, the legislation marks a positive step forward.He also said that in his talks with international businesses, he had heard concern about xenophobia on the Island, noting the appearance of offensive graffiti around the Island.“I’m calling on all of us in this land to do their part,” he said.His comments were later supported by both National Security Minister Wayne Perinchief and UBP leader Kim Swan.Government Estates Minister Michael Scott dismissed criticism of the legislation by Mr Richards as “nonsense,” saying the Government is focused on the welfare of the people of Bermuda.Noting Mr Crockwell’s comments on the application fee, he said the money would go directly into the consolidated fund.“The Opposition is making it seem like it’s going into my pocket. Personally,” he said, adding that the money would go towards the operation of the country they are trying to become citizens of.OBA’s Dr Grant Gibbons said that while the legislation was a positive step, he said the Premier’s description of it as a “template for a 21st century solution” was over the top.He reiterated Mr Richard’s description of the legislation as “grudging,” adding that the Government is in the difficult process of trying to change direction.However PLP backbencher Walter Roban said that supporting international business has always been a key element to the party, and the legislation did not mark a changing in direction, dismissing the comments as spin.“I would suggest that during our Government’s period in office, there has been a lot of dialogue, communication and exchanges of information between international businesses and this Government,” he said.“Frankly, it’s much like in other jurisdictions. It’s a bad idea because we didn’t bring it here, or it’s not a perfect idea because we didn’t bring it here.”OBA’s Trevor Moniz said that the relationship between Government and international business was severely damaged by the actions of former Premier Ewart Brown and former Immigration Minister David Burch.He also reiterated his belief that Bermuda should look at a way for long term residents to gain citizenship on the Island.UBP leader Kim Swan said he felt “duty bound to rise to his feet” to support the bill. He said the legislation “makes sense” and he hoped it would encourage job-makers to return to Bermuda from Switzerland and elsewhere in the world.He said: “We are saying ‘come back’ to job-makers who have left and ‘come on’ to those who are thinking about coming here for the first time. This will have a real impact on the economy.”OBA MP Patricia Gordon-Pamplin said all Bermudians had an obligation to make job-makers feel welcome rather than alienate them.She also questioned the bill’s wording saying it was often board members rather than CEOs who made key decisions such as where a company should be located. She said CEOs would likely have an influence, but not the final say.Ms Gordon-Pamplin said: “I hope to see a Bermuda that’s free of xenophobia and embraces the benefits of these companies.”Environment Minister Marc Bean said as a labour Government they were not only pro-labour but also pro-business.He said: “We consider this step a major move to renewing or creating a new relationship between business and labour. I am a strong supporter of this legislation ... it’s about a mutually beneficial relationship.“We will encourage businesses to hire as many locals as possible ... this is the first step of many steps to strengthen the economy even when the rest of the world is going through an economic tsunami.”Mr Bean also praised his Government for “thinking outside the box” but stressed that obtaining permanent residence status would “never, ever translate into having the opportunity to vote”.