The Government has allocated $2.6 billion for the procurement of 100 additional buses prior to the commencement of the 2024/25 academic year, which are expected to improve the experience of the commuting public. Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, provided the details as he opened the 2024/25 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives...

Effective April 1, applicants to the Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB) will not require guarantors to access tertiary financing. The disclosure was made by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, while opening the 2024/25 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives, on Tuesday (March 12). Dr. Clarke noted that the requirement of a guarantor for...

A total of $4.3 billion has been allocated for repairs to and the maintenance of roads, including patching, and bushing of verges. Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, made the disclosure as he opened the 2024/25 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (March 12). “This is not the ‘Shared Prosperity through...

The Government will continue to build out Jamaica’s infrastructure in the upcoming fiscal year. To this end, a total of $6.3 billion has been allocated to complete the construction of the Harbour View to Port Antonio section of the Southern Coastal Highway Project and commence works on Phase three of the local roadwork construction packages. Also, $10.2 billion has been...

A total of $19.7 billion has been allocated for the provision of pharmaceutical and medical supplies in the 2024/25 fiscal year. Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, made the disclosure as he opened the 2024/25 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on March 12. Dr. Clarke informed that there has been an increase...

Operators of cash courier businesses will benefit from General Consumption Tax (GCT) exemption on the importation of armoured vehicles for two years. Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, who made the announcement while opening the 2024/25 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (March 12), said the measure is aimed at increasing...

Effective April 2024, the personal income tax threshold will move from $1.5 million to $1.7 million. This was announced by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, while opening the 2024/25 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (March 12). Dr. Clarke said the measure will cost approximately $9 billion. He also announced...

The Government is working on establishing unemployment insurance in the new financial year. Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, said that in the first quarter of 2024/25, the Government expects to sign a US$20 million loan agreement with the World Bank to provide the Ministry of Labour and Social Security with the technical support...

The Government is revising the thresholds for the procurement of goods, services and works in public-sector entities. The move will be facilitated through amendments to the Public Procurement Act 2015 and its Regulations, which are in advanced stages of development and should be tabled early in the new fiscal year, said Finance and the Public Service Minister, Dr. the Hon....