Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, says he expects growth in the economy to be about two per cent by the end of the 2016/17 fiscal year. The Minister was opening the Debate on the first Supplementary Estimates in the House of Representatives on January 17. Tabled on January 10, the Estimates showed that the budget...

Jamaica has moved a step closer to establishing an international financial services centre, with the passage of two key pieces of legislation in the Senate on Friday (January 13). These are the General Partnership Bill, which will formalise the process for foreign partnerships looking to transact business in Jamaica and facilitate mergers and conversion of partnerships; and the Limited Partnership...

Finance and the Public Service Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw, says he is reviewing the capital expenditure programme for the rest of the 2016/17 fiscal year ahead of making a presentation to Cabinet on Monday, January 16. He made the disclosure while addressing journalists at the Ministry’s National Heroes Circle offices in Kingston on Wednesday (January 11). Mr. Shaw said that...

Finance and the Public Service Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw, is urging the expeditious execution of public-procurement procedures and processes that are pivotal in facilitating speedier capital expenditure and project implementation. This call is directed at persons with responsibility for procurement in Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). Speaking at the signing of an agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)...

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has authorised partial use of the national public-procurement system for the acquisition of goods and services for IDB-funded projects. State agencies can now use the procurement guidelines, rather than the IDB’s, once these are outlined in loan and grant agreements for current or impending projects. This undertaking was formalised in an agreement signed by Finance...

The Revenue Protection Department (RPD) is taking a zero-tolerance approach to the production of fraudulent motor-vehicle documents, including fitness and registration certificates, titles and driver’s licences. Commissioner of the RPD, Major (Ret’d) Johanna Lewin, said the RPD has placed 29 matters related to the production of fraudulent documents before the court. She said the department has shut down several mobile...

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, tabled the first Supplementary Estimates for the 2016/17 financial year in the House of Representatives on January 10. The figures show that the budget has been revised upwards from $579.93 billion to $592.74 billion, an increase of $12.8 billion. The Estimates show an increase in the Recurrent (housekeeping) expenses from...