The House of Representatives on Tuesday (January 31) approved the Provisional Collection of Tax (Income Tax) (No.2) Order 2016. The Order, which was piloted by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, will allow the new personal income tax threshold to remain in effect. “The measure was recommended on the basis to alleviating the economic hardship which...

Three of the island’s training institutions will be merged to better cater to the needs of Jamaicans. They are the HEART Trust/NTA, Jamaican Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL), and the National Youth Service (NYS). Making the disclosure during yesterday (Feb. 1) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator Hon. Ruel Reid, said the merger...

The Social Development Commission (SDC) will be establishing and reactivating Community Development Committees (CDCs) in 12 communities in Kingston and St. Andrew by the end of March. Nine of the CDCs are new groups, while the other three are being revived as they had become dormant. A CDC is the composition of all organisations in a community such as neighbourhood...

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, will be having discussions with the leadership of the St. Thomas Technical High School about discipline at the institution. The school has been placed in the spotlight following an incident where an ancillary worker was reportedly attacked by students recently. At a post-Cabinet press briefing yesterday (February 1) at...

The House of Representatives on January 31 approved the Integrity Commission Bill, which is aimed at promoting and enhancing standards of ethical conduct for parliamentarians and public officials. The Bill provides for the establishment of a single body to be known as the Integrity Commission, to promote and strengthen the measures for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of acts...

The Ministry of Justice will launch its 2017 training for Justices of the Peace (JPs) on February 2, at the Jamaica Conference Centre, in downtown Kingston. More than 1,000 JPs are expected to attend the launch, which will also serve as a sensitisation session. Director/Principal of the Justice Training Institute in the Ministry, Karen Campbell Bascoe, said registration will begin...

The Jamaica Cancer Society (JCS) is appealing for donations to assist with the purchase of a new mammography machine for its mobile screening unit. The unit, which was donated to the JCS in 2000, has been out of service since October 2015. Speaking at a JIS Think Tank on Tuesday (January 31), JCS Executive Director, Yulit Gordon, said the entity...

The Government is advanced in building out the policy framework for the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, including finalising regulations for the special economic zones (SEZ) in which they will operate. “Right now, the BPO resides on a number of pillars. One of those pillars is the SEZs and we are on the brink of finalising the regulations towards the...

Residents of 11 communities close to the University of Technology’s (UTech) Papine campus are to benefit from a series of interventions aimed at strengthening community systems and to reach unengaged youth. The initiative, dubbed ‘Papine Wellness Fest’, involves collaboration among the University of Technology (UTech), the Papine Development Area Committee (PDAC) and the Social Development Commission (SDC). Beneficiary communities are...