We have no agreement for a flat tax – Taxi operators

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Thursday, July 11, 2013 | 4:48 PM

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Association of Transport Owners & Operators (JATOO) says any plans to introduce a flat tax on public passenger vehicles (PPV) operators will be rejected by its membership and also by the majority of the public passenger transportation sector.The Transport Ministry in a statement Thursday said that an agreement was reached with the island’s transport operators for a flat tax.But in a quick response this afternoon, JATOO president Louis Barton denied any such agreement. “The days of government or their agencies imposing laws or regulations on the public transport industry without a process of consultation is now over,” Barton said in a release.“A flat tax on the public transportation sector is, at least, discriminatory as no other sector will be having this tax being imposed on them.”“Bus operators have seen their expenses increase by over 78 per cent between 2008 and 2012, while for the same period income has remained the same because there had not been a fare increase,” Barton charged.He said that no public transport owner was making a profit at this time, including the government-owned Jamaica Urban Transport Company (JUTC) which was subsidised to the tune of over $5.7 billion over the same period.“Any decision by the Tax and Audit Administration of Jamaica to impose a flat tax on the industry will be vigorously rejected by JATOO using all possible channels at our disposal,” Barton insisted.Meanwhile minister without portfolio in the Trasnport Ministry, Dr Morais Guy in championing a flat tax said that the move will eventually result in a formalisation of the public transportation sector.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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We have no agreement for a flat tax – Taxi operators