St. Andrew Justices of the Peace Association to Apply for Charitable Status

President of the St. Andrew Justices of the Peace Association (SAJP), Marigold Harding, says the entity will be applying for charitable status this year.

Speaking in a JIS News interview, Mrs. Harding, noted that the SAJP operates voluntarily and covers its expenses through fundraising activities. She said that the entity does not receive personal gain or profit from its operation.

“We are totally responsible for the cost of the operation of the association…This is not personal work; it is work we are doing for the community,” she pointed out.

Mrs. Harding said that the new Board will be seeking legal and professional advice prior to starting the application process of becoming a charitable entity. She is hopeful that the process will be completed by 2020.

In Jamaica, non-profit organisations can legally become charities through the Department of Cooperatives and Friendly Societies or the Companies Office of Jamaica.

Under the Charities Act 2013, registered charitable organisations are able to obtain tax relief, as their operations are not remunerative.

In January, the SAJP elected a new board to serve until 2021. Later this year, the SAJP office will be relocated from its current location at the Jamaica Mortgage Bank building to a Waterloo Road address.