Since the start of the year, a total of 743 persons have been arrested for attempting to illegally traffic narcotics in Jamaica. This was disclosed by Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of National Security, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, while piloting two companion Bills in the Senate on Friday (December 18), which will allow for drug samples and photographs...

Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) will soon begin to benefit from a special income tax credit of $375,000. This follows the passage of the Income Tax (Amendment) Act, 2020, by the Senate on Friday (Dec. 17), to facilitate the move. The Bill was approved by the House of Representatives on December 15. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade,...

Having successfully seen the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) through to ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management System (QMS) certification, the Ministry of National Security is now looking to pilot other entities under its portfolio towards achieving the same for their operations. PICA undertook the process for its passport production and issuance operations over nine months, which culminated in the...

Minister of Tourism, Hon.  Edmund Bartlett has hailed Chukka Caribbean Adventures’ US$3 million investment in the development of the Chukka Ocean Outpost Sandy Bay, as a demonstration of the company’s unwavering belief in Jamaica. “As a destination, giving confidence to investors is what Jamaica is all about. In the middle of this pandemic, many people would have stopped investing,” he...

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Aubyn Hill, says he is pleased that Jamaica has maintained its B+ credit rating despite the economic impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. “This week, S&P (Standard and Poor’s Ratings Agency) released their update on Jamaica where they are maintaining the credit rating of Jamaica’s...

Jamaica’s work to improve its anti-money laundering and counter financing of terrorism framework, to meet international standards, is continuing to reap success with the recent upgrade of the country’s ratings by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF). This was disclosed by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, who noted that “(two weeks...

The Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) is maintaining the interest rate offered on deposit-taking institutions' overnight placements, at 0.50 per cent. In a statement on Friday (December 18), the Central Bank said this policy decision is based on its assessment that inflation will generally continue to remain in the 4-6 per cent target range over the next two years. This is...