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Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. Omar Davies yesterday (March 2) tabled the first supplementary estimates in the House of Representatives for the 2003/2004 fiscal year. The estimates, totalling $17.46 billion has recurrent expenses of $14.43 billion and capital expenditure amounting to $3.02 billion. Under recurrent expenses in the revised estimates, the Office of the Services Commission is to receive a...

The Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank will launch a new loan programme on Friday, March 5, specifically targetting the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) sector. Managing Director of the Ex-Im Bank, Pamella McLean, told JIS News that the bank would be making available to the sector, a total fund pool of $80 million, of which $20 million would be directed as working...

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has accepted an invitation from the Government of Jamaica to help in the design of an economic programme to reduce the public debt burden. This arrangement was arrived at, after a series of discussions between Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. Omar Davies and officials in Washington, including a letter to IMF Head, Horst Koehler.Prime Minister...

The Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund Limited recently handed over $6.8 million to Liberty Hall for administrative support for two years. Liberty Hall is yet another historical and cultural landmark that has received funding from CHASE, which last year provided financial support for the restoration of Devon House. To date, the Fund has approved $126.5 million in...

Seventy-two customs officials, four of whom have given more than 40 years of dedicated and honest service to the Customs Department were recognised on Thursday (Jan. 29) at a ceremony at King's House. Chief among the awardees was BT Davis, who joined the department 57 years ago, in March 1944. According to his citation, Mr. Davis never missed a day...

As of Tuesday, October 21, compliant taxpayers will have the option to forego visiting three collection centres and apply for their tax compliant certificate (TCC) via e-mail. Prior to this arrangement, persons wishing to obtain their TCC would be required to visit four different offices to complete the application process. These were the National Housing Trust (NHT), the National Insurance...

The Jamaica Customs Department has officially launched its electronic (e)-payment system to facilitate the convenience of online payment by importers. The e-payment system was first introduced by the Customs Department on January 7, 2003 as a pilot project. It involved 15 importers and their Customs Brokers, who were allowed exclusively to carry out their transactions online. With the launch of...

Minister of Development, Dr. Paul Robertson, has challenged employees in the public sector to improve the quality and efficiency of their service in order to set the pace for Jamaica to become more competitive globally. "The country's competitiveness can only be achieved with the help of public sector professionals.and understanding and appreciating that countries, which are not efficient and competitive,...

Deputy Director of the Directorate for Finance, Fiscal and Enterprise Affairs of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Rainer Geiger, has said that three main issues would dominate tomorrow's (March 11) Caribbean Rim Investment Conference at the Jamaica Conference Centre. Mr. Geiger informed JIS News that three countries had participated in a pilot project designed to explore issues...