The theme of the 11th annual Shirley Playfair Lecture "Competition Law and Policy" is very timely for a number of reasons. Today and going forward, individuals, institutions, the private and public sectors and indeed the Government...all of us together.must now focus on the critical reality --- that the ultimate and only solution to our economic dilemma is to grow the...

I extend my heartiest congratulations and the warm sentiments of the entire Government and people of Jamaica to Mr. Gerard S. Johnson, current IDB Representative in Jamaica, on the well deserved promotion to the post of General Manager of the Country Department Caribbean Group (CCB), effective September 1, 2010. This now places Mr. Johnson in charge of the entire Caribbean...

Mr. Trevor Alleyne, chief of the Caribbean division of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and head of the mission to Jamaica, issued the following statement today in Kingston: "An IMF team visited Kingston during May 4-18 to conduct the first review of the economic program under the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) approved by the Fund's Executive Board on February 4, 2010....

Due to an ongoing investigation and review into the process of issuing of Tax Relief (Waivers, 20% Motor Vehicle Duty Concessions etc ), all prospective and existing applicants are being advised that effective April 1, 2010, new procedures have been instituted to facilitate the processing of these applications. Applications are normally received in three (3) main categories: Twenty percent (20%)...

INTRODUCTIONMr. Speaker, the first quarter of this year has been a very busy period for the Ministry of Finance & the Public Service and all the economic agencies under its umbrella. We entered the year navigating uncharted waters as we set about completing negotiations with the IMF while at the same time designing a debt exchange programme that would not...

Mr. Trevor Alleyne, chief of the Caribbean division of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and head of the mission to Jamaica, issued the following statement today in Kingston: "An IMF team visited Kingston during October 27-November 6 to continue discussions toward a Stand-By Arrangment with the Fund. The team met with Prime Minister Bruce Golding, Minister of Finance Audley Shaw,...

Mr. Speaker, on April 7, 2009 I tabled the Estimates of Expenditure for FY2009/10. Later that month, I addressed this Honourable House and spoke of the economic context existing at the time the Budget was presented. The global financial crisis was in high gear with full impact on the Jamaican economy. At that time, we had initial estimates of the...

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, has described as grossly inaccurate statements made by the Leader of the Opposition the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, regarding discussions with the IMF, at her party's conference at the National Arena, on Sunday (September 20). According to Mr. Shaw, Mrs. Simpson Miller, "grossly misrepresented the state of Jamaica's negotiations...

A private sector-led initiative aimed at relieving the Government's short term debt service costs was presented to the Government for its consideration. Discussions in the market about this initiative raised concerns about the Government's debt strategy. Cabinet, after careful consideration of the proposal and mindful of the uncertainty in the market has decided that the Government will not be pursuing...

"Surviving the current economic environment through sound strategic planning" is a profound statement of fact. It applies to the process and business of governance as much it applies to the conduct of private enterprise. For our part, with or without financial support from the International Monetary Fund and our multilateral partners, there are hard choices to be made. Choices that...

1. On August 5, 2009, Standard and Poors (S&P) downgraded Jamaica's long term sovereign credit rating to CCC+. The Government of Jamaica (GOJ) believes that this ratings action ignores several positive economic developments that have taken place in recent weeks. In recent months, there have been continued signs of an improved outlook for Jamaica's credit profile: a. Significant over-subscription of...