A sum of $651 million has been allocated to the Strategic Public Sector Transformation Project in the 2016/17 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project, which is being funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, the Government of Jamaica and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, is aimed at strengthening public resource management...

The Jamaica Business Taxation Reform (JAMTAX) has been given $15.7 million in the 2016/17 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project seeks to improve the regulatory, institutional and administrative framework for business taxation by reforming the tax appeal process and legislative framework. Allocation for this fiscal year will be used to: complete the Tax Compliance Cost...

A sum of $14.98 million is to be spent this year on the continued development of a National Identification System (NIDS) for Jamaica. The money has been made available in the 2016/17 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project aims to establish a reliable identification system for Jamaicans and other nationals resident in the country, with...

A total of $361.58 million has been earmarked for a project aimed at promoting safer sex practices among groups at high risk for HIV transmission. The allocation, to the HIV prevalence in Most-at-Risk Population Reduced Project in the Ministry of Health, is contained in the 2016/17 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The initiative, which started in...

Finance and the Public Service Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw, has hailed the success of the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) Junior Market. He says since its inception in 2009, the Junior Market has, to date, generated over $4.3 billion from trading involving the stocks of the 23 companies listed. Additionally, he said the Index grew from 100 points at the outset,...

The Government is projecting to spend $579.93 billion for the 2016/17 fiscal year. This amount is 28 percent less than the $808 billion Revised budget for financial year 2015/16. Details of the projections are contained in the Estimates of Expenditure, which were tabled in the House of Representatives on Thursday (April 14), by Minister of Finance and Public Service,  Hon....

The Government has given an undertaking to engage micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in a partnership to further spur the administration’s programme of economic growth and job creation. Finance and Public Service Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw, says the Government is keen on forging this partnership, as it regards MSMEs “as engines of growth.” He pointed out that they are...