Finance Ministry to Work With JFJ to Restore Charity Status

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Hon. Horace Dalley, says the Government will be working with Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) to restore the organisation’s charity status.

The human rights group had lost its charity status after not meeting certain requirements under the Charities Act in its application to the Department of Cooperatives and Friendly Societies.

Speaking with JIS News on Thursday, April 30, Minister Dalley said under the legislation, the JFJ “could not be termed charitable in its current state.”

“The Act is very specific, and there is a clause in the Act under which JFJ would not fall,” he noted.

The Charities Act, which was passed in Parliament in 2013, seeks to regulate all charitable organisations intending to or already operating in Jamaica, and is a key component of the country’s Economic Reform Programme.

It provides a definition for charitable organisations, and designation of the registrar of charitable organisations by the responsible Minister, which will keep and maintain a register of all registered charitable groups.

In addition, Minister Dalley said he will seek to have dialogue with the JFJ “to understand what their outstanding tax obligations are” and Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) will also work with the organisation to ensure that it fulfills its obligations under the law.

He also reminded that charities are expected to pay over statutory deductions of employees, such as National Insurance Scheme (NIS), National Housing Trust (NHT) and Pay As You Earn (PAYE).