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Cabinet has approved the implementation of a prescribed annual fee to replace the existing customs duty, customs user fee, environment levy, and General Consumption Tax (GCT) charges on Jamaican registered yachts. Speaking at Wednesday’s (December 19) Jamaica House Media Briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Minister with responsibility for Information, Senator the Hon. Sandrea Falconer, said the...

Minister with responsibility for Information, Senator the Hon. Sandrea Falconer, has advised that some 158 houses, which are being constructed for victims of Hurricane Sandy, in Portland, St. Mary and St. Thomas, are at various stages of completion. Additionally, she said 20 bases have been completed and are ready for the installation of houses. The Minister was speaking at the...

Approximately 86 senior citizens in St. James, including two centenarians, were feted by the St. James National Council for Senior Citizens, at a Christmas dinner, held in Greenwood, on December 17. The two centenarians, Jane Thomas and Euplin Parlane, turned 100 years of age in February and November this year, respectively. Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Glendon Harris, who addressed...

Homeowners are being advised to get a licenced electrician to check their house wiring before putting up decorative lights, in order to prevent fires. The warning came from Assistant Superintendent in charge of Communication at the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), Emilio Ebanks, as he addressed a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank.   He said that house wiring that...

Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) advises that effective January 1, 2013, the requirement  for persons residing or operating from overseas to have a Taxpayer Registration Number (TRN) to transact business with the tax authority in Jamaica will be fully enforced. This mandatory TRN requirement will impact individuals and companies, particularly persons processing transactions such as land transfers and mortgages through the...

A total of 61 Jamaicans wererecognised for outstanding contribution to nation building through service in the fields of health, security and emergency care, at a special Diamond Jubilee Medal Awards ceremony held this morning (December 14) at King’s House. The commemorative Diamond Jubilee Medalsare in recognition of the 60th year of the reign of Her Majesty, The Queen.    Governor-General, His...

Government Senator Lambert Brown has suggested that a review of the National Insurance Act has become necessary in order to give more power to the Minister to increase the benefits to contributors when required. He argued that it wasn’t necessary to ask Parliament for amendments to the Act to facilitate an increase as “these adjustments come very often given the...

A revised selection mechanism for the beneficiary identification system (BIS) under the Programme for Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), will be submitted to Cabinet for approval shortly. This was disclosed by Labour and Social Security Minister, Hon. Derrick Kellier, who informed that the new system “takes full note of some issues that were identified and seeks to make the...

Persons who make prank calls to the island’s emergency services could be asked to pay the cost of mobilising resources to respond. This was intimated by Deputy Superintendent of Police at the Community Safety and Security Branch of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Stephanie Lindsay, at a JIS ‘Think Tank’, held on December 11. She was supported by Assistant Superintendent...

The Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) has officially launched a Voluntary Copyright Registration System, which should result in increased financial benefits to the local creative industries. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Reginald Budhan, said the system, which is the first of its kind in the Caribbean, will not only facilitate the provision of independent proof...

Hundreds of residents from Westmoreland and surrounding parishes joined in prayer and worship for the country at the 20th Annual National Prayer Vigil held on Sunday (December 9) at the Wesley Methodist Church in Savanna-La-Mar. The event, held under the theme: ‘Justice, unity peace and healing,’ included inspirational singing, readings and dance presentations, while clerics from various denominations prayed for...

Immediate Past General Secretary of the National Union of Journalists in the United Kingdom (UK), Jeremy Dear, says practising ethical journalism is essential in addressing issues without prejudice, which will redound to the interest of the public. "Ethical journalism is right, not just because it acts in the public’s interest, but also because it is the way to build long...