Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips, says the economic growth momentum is expected to continue through to the end of the September quarter, despite the effects of the drought. He was addressing a post-Cabinet Retreat press briefing on September 17 at Jamaica House. Real economic activity expanded within the range of one to two per cent during...

Director, Taxation Policy Division, Ministry of Finance and Planning, Ian Scarlett, is urging young Jamaicans to use the training they have received at various academic institutions and create employment opportunities for themselves. “The days of going to school, graduating from university and getting a job or having someone employ you, those days are numbered. It now means that you have...

Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips, says addressing the issue of corruption remains a national priority. He says public perception of corruption continues to mar the political process in Jamaica, despite the passage of various pieces of legislation and strengthening of extensive requirements for the reporting of incomes by public officials. “There is perhaps no single...

Operators of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) will soon have access to an online database that will provide information on sources of financing for their businesses. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), to facilitate and create the database, was signed on Thursday, September 11, between the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) and the Mona School of Business and Management (MSBM),...

Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) is reminding business owners that the second payment of $30,000 for the Minimum Business Tax is due on Monday, September 15. The tax, which was implemented on April 1, 2014, requires persons operating a business to pay $60,000 per year in two installments, the first of which was due on June 15. Business owners, who pay the...

Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips, says the legal and regulatory changes to develop Jamaica’s venture capital industry, should be implemented during the next fiscal year. He said that the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), through the Jamaica Venture Capital Programme (JVCP), has made significant headway in identifying some of the regulatory changes that will be required...

Co-Chair of the Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC), Richard Byles, says Jamaicans should exercise patience, as the country continues to work to achieve higher growth. Mr. Byles, who was addressing journalists at the EPOC’s monthly press briefing on September 8, in Kingston, said growth in the Jamaican economy is not easy to come by, and the recent series of reported...