A sum of $25 million is earmarked for the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) to continue work, this year, on the country’s National Policy and Plan of Action on International Migration and Development. The sum, which represents a $10.4 million increase over last year’s allocation, is included in the 2015/16 Estimates of Expenditure, now before Parliament. The project, which commenced...

A sum of $464 million has been allotted for this year’s continuation of projects under the Poverty Reduction Programme (PRP) III. Details of the project are outlined in the 2015/16 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project, which is being implemented by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), with funding from the European Union (EU), began...

The Government has allocated $195.4 million to continue work to construct new offices spaces downtown Kingston, to house the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. The new facility will provide adequate accommodation for staff, meeting and conference facilities, and waiting areas for diplomats and other visitors. As stated in the Estimates of Expenditure now before the House of Representatives,...

Chief Economist at the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Everton McFarlane, says the 2015/16 budget is a growth supporting budget. Speaking on the Jamaica Information Service’s (JIS) Issues and Answers television programme on Sunday, February 22, Mr. McFarlane pointed to an increase in the capital expenditure as well as spending on social programmes in this year’s budget, as measures that...

A sum of $51 million has been allocated in the 2015/16 Estimates of Expenditure, now before Parliament, to continue development of the Electronic Government Procurement system. The project, which commenced in 2011, is intended to strengthen the efficiency and quality of Jamaica’s public procurement process. This, through development of an electronic  system for government procuring and tendering agencies and suppliers,...

The project, being implemented by Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ), aims to improve the regulatory, institutional, and administrative framework for business taxation, by reforming the tax appeal process and legislative framework. Work commenced in February 2014, and it is envisaged that when completed in 2016, the project will facilitate simplification of the business tax process by customizing the tax design and...

Research is being undertaken by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to address the issue of youth unemployment in the region. The announcement was made by Director of Economics at the CDB, Dr. Justin Ram, at a press briefing on the economic performance of CDB borrowing member countries, held on Wednesday, February 18, in Barbados. He said unemployment among young people...