The House of Representatives, on Tuesday (March 29), approved a Resolution which will provide the Government with a sum of $83.83 billion to carry-on its business for a period of three months, from April 1 to June 30. Moving the resolution, Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, informed that the sum comprised $76.46 billion for recurrent...

Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC) Co-Chair, Richard Byles, says there is growing interest among private sector stakeholders towards investing in Jamaica. “I think that more and more, there is (growing) enthusiasm...you see it in the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce business confidence survey. When you talk to the private sector, there is a lot more optimism and hope being expressed. I...

Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC) Co-Chair, Richard Byles, has welcomed the Government’s stated focus on achieving more substantial growth for Jamaica. “We certainly hope that it bears the fruit that I think every Jamaican wants to see, because we certainly need it to spur us past the one percent margin...and into the two (and) three percent (range), which is where...

Jamaica’s Net International Reserve (NIR), which currently totals US$2.2 billion, is comfortably ahead of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) March target of US$1.6 billion, the Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC) Co-Chairman, Richard Byles, has informed. Speaking at EPOC’s monthly briefing at Sagicor Life, New Kingston, on March 15, Mr. Byles said consequent on the NIR being “pretty strong,” Jamaica has...

Minister of Finance and Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, says a provisional timetable was presented to the Cabinet, as it related to the tabling of the 2016/17 budget. The Minister was speaking to journalists before the start of the first official meeting of the Cabinet on March 15 at the Office of the Prime Minister. “I don’t want to pre-empt the...

Director of Tourism, Paul Pennicook, says tourism continues to be a key economic driver and represents a solid choice for investment. “When we consider the contribution that the sector has made to the economy and that the destination continues to attract investors, even from our competitive neighbours, it demonstrates that Jamaica’s tourism is a sound investment,” he said. He was...

Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC) Co-Chair, Richard Byles, is optimistic that the Government will be able to achieve the $120.7 billion primary surplus balance target for the January to March quarter under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This, he said, is despite a $1.6 billion shortfall in the $71 billion budgeted for the fiscal...