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Records from the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (OPC) indicate that a total of 31 Acts of Parliament and numerous pieces of subsidiary legislation were enacted between January and December last year. Among the Acts passed was the Caribbean Court of Justice (Original Jurisdiction) Act, 2005. The passage of this Act established the Caribbean Court of Justice as the only...

Effective January 1, 2006 the income tax threshold will be increased to $193,440, moving from $169,104, which has been in effect since July 1 this year. Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Omar Davies gave details of the new threshold when he opened the 2005/06 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on April 14. The Minister pointed out that...

The House of Representatives yesterday (Nov. 29) approved a $500 million loan to the Jamaica Mortgage Bank for the financing of housing developments in several parishes. Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. Omar Davies who piloted the resolution seeking the government guarantee, informed that the loan, which is being sought from the Victoria Mutual Building Society (VMBS), would go towards the...

After extensive debate over several weeks, the Upper House gave its approval to the Maintenance Bill, with eight amendments, at yesterday's (Oct. 28) sitting. The approval of the legislation followed intense debate from both sides of the Upper House, with arguments centred on whether a public consultation should have been facilitated to gauge opinion on the law before it was...

The Upper House gave its approval to the Early Childhood Regulations, Resolutions 2005 at yesterday's (Oct. 28) sitting at Gordon House. Recommendations came from both sides of the Upper House on how to best to make the Regulations more comprehensive to recognise disabled children, as well as to give an extension on the stipulated time for pupil teachers to gain...

Minister of Local Government, Community Development and Sport, Portia Simpson Miller has said that the Ministry would be implementing the 21 recommendations laid out in the Contractor General's report on the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA). Mrs. Simpson Miller was speaking in the House on July 27, where she tabled the recommendations, as well as the report of the...

Minister of Industry and Tourism, Aloun Ndombet-Assamba has said the Government was fully supportive of the awareness-building activities of the International Year of Micro Credit, and was committed to ensuring that the activities for the year went beyond promotion, to producing sustainable outcomes for micro entrepreneurs. Mrs. Assamba was making a statement on the International Year of Micro Credit in...

Cabinet has approved US$883,800 for the procurement of 1,000 new bulletproof vests, 400 replacement vests and 600 helmets for members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). This was announced by Prime Minister P.J. Patterson at a post Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House on June 27. Mr. Patterson said that due to the fact that these items were sensitive to...

Changes to transfer tax rates on estates at death, become effective tomorrow (June 1), as announced by Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. Omar Davies during his budget presentation in Parliament in April. As a result, at death there will be no tax on the first $100,000.00 value of the estate to be transferred. Thereafter, amounts over $100,000.00 will be at...

The Ozone Act should be passed in the Houses of Parliament by the end of the year, enabling Jamaica to officially participate in the global effort to reduce the depletion of the ozone layer by reducing and eventually eliminating the use of ozone depleting substances (ODS). "It is expected that the Act will be in place by the end of...

Cabinet has approved the award of a contract for the Kingston Container Terminal billing and collection system to Belgium based company, Cosmos N.V., in the sum of US$370,000. Making the announcement at yesterday's (November 29) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, Information Minister, Senator Burchell Whiteman explained that this was done, "in pursuance of the Port Authority's efforts to improve...

Cabinet has approved proposal for Jamaica to become a member of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), at the next meeting of the IOM, scheduled for today (November 30) in Geneva, Switzerland. Minister of Information, Senator Burchell Whiteman made the announcement yesterday (November 29), at the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House. "Jamaica has observer status and we are...