Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, says the Government is keeping its commitment to the Jamaican people to create new jobs and reduce unemployment. “I am pleased to report that an additional 43,000 persons have been employed over the past two years and the unemployment rate, according to the Statistical Institute of Jamaica, has fallen from...

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, says the Government remains committed to protecting the poor and vulnerable in the society. Opening the 2018/19 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on March 8, the Minister said social programmes for protected groups will continue to receive priority with respect to the allocation of resources, to ensure that...

Finance and the Public Service Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw, on Thursday (March 8) formally announced that the Government will not be introducing new taxes to fund the 2018/19 Budget, amounting to approximately $773.6 billion. Instead, he said the Administration intends to do so from revenue and grants, which are “passively” forecast at $590.6 billion or 29.3 per cent of gross...

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, has reiterated that the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will be receiving $101.6 billion for 2018/19, up from $98.9 billion last year. Opening the 2018/19 Budget Debate in the House on Thursday (March 8), Mr. Shaw said the sum is the largest from the Budget, because the Government remains...

The Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) and the National Export-Import Bank of Jamaica (EXIM Bank) will be expanding the provision of new financial services to the micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) sector. These services, which are not currently available to them from the commercial financial institutions, include assistance with single-digit interest rates, venture capital, factoring and leasing. “Assistance will...

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, has announced that 15,106 new taxpayers were registered during the period April to December 2017, due to a compliance drive conducted by Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ). Mr. Shaw said the Tax Reform Working Group, which began under his leadership, should be praised for this number of new registered taxpayers. The...

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw is scheduled to open the 2018/19 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on March 8, when he will inform the nation how the Budget for the fiscal year will be funded. The Government intends to spend $773.6 billion for 2018/19, with $560 billion allocated for recurrent (housekeeping) expenses and...

As the Government prepares to outline how it intends to finance the $773.6-billion Budget for 2018/19, it is important for citizens to understand the importance of the discussion and how it will impact their lives. Simply put, the Budget proposes how much money the Government will allocate for the services it has to carry out each financial year and how...

As the Government prepares to present a breakdown of its budgetary proposals for the 2018-19 year, it is important that all Jamaicans get an opportunity to partake in the discussions and to have a full appreciation of the terms and words used in the discourse. On February 15, the Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, tabled...