Hylton defends changes to car import policy

Commerce Minister Anthony Hylton has defended new provisions in the Motor Vehicle Import Policy in the wake of rumblings in the used car trade. He says there was adequate consultation on the revised policy. The Jamaica Used Car Dealers Association last week declared that its members will not comply with new requirements that they provide warranties for front end and electrical parts on vehicles they sell.The Minister responded to the Association’s concerns last night and emphasized that the policy was geared towards the proctection of consumers. “We have had a long period of experience of the situation (insofar as) it affected the consumers’ interests, and we believe that that requirement, which is graduated, depending on the age of the car, would have taken into consideration, not just the condition of the road, but all the other pertinent comments that would have been made as part of the consultation,” he said.Accordingly, he claimed, all the relevant rights and interests had been balanced in the process.The Used Car Dealers Association believes the Policy will discourage its members from importing popular affordable vehicles, to avoid the risk of  paying extensively to change certain parts.In the meantime, Mr. Hylton says the door is still open to members of  the used car industry to air concerns about the new Policy.

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Hylton defends changes to car import policy

Hylton defends changes to car import policy

Commerce Minister Anthony Hylton has defended new provisions in the Motor Vehicle Import Policy in the wake of rumblings in the used car trade. He says there was adequate consultation on the revised policy. The Jamaica Used Car Dealers Association last week declared that its members will not comply with new requirements that they provide warranties for front end and electrical parts on vehicles they sell.The Minister responded to the Association’s concerns last night and emphasized that the policy was geared towards the proctection of consumers. “We have had a long period of experience of the situation (insofar as) it affected the consumers’ interests, and we believe that that requirement, which is graduated, depending on the age of the car, would have taken into consideration, not just the condition of the road, but all the other pertinent comments that would have been made as part of the consultation,” he said.Accordingly, he claimed, all the relevant rights and interests had been balanced in the process.The Used Car Dealers Association believes the Policy will discourage its members from importing popular affordable vehicles, to avoid the risk of  paying extensively to change certain parts.In the meantime, Mr. Hylton says the door is still open to members of  the used car industry to air concerns about the new Policy.

View the original article here

Hylton defends changes to car import policy

Hylton defends changes to car import policy

Commerce Minister Anthony Hylton has defended new provisions in the Motor Vehicle Import Policy in the wake of rumblings in the used car trade. He says there was adequate consultation on the revised policy. The Jamaica Used Car Dealers Association last week declared that its members will not comply with new requirements that they provide warranties for front end and electrical parts on vehicles they sell.The Minister responded to the Association’s concerns last night and emphasized that the policy was geared towards the proctection of consumers. “We have had a long period of experience of the situation (insofar as) it affected the consumers’ interests, and we believe that that requirement, which is graduated, depending on the age of the car, would have taken into consideration, not just the condition of the road, but all the other pertinent comments that would have been made as part of the consultation,” he said.Accordingly, he claimed, all the relevant rights and interests had been balanced in the process.The Used Car Dealers Association believes the Policy will discourage its members from importing popular affordable vehicles, to avoid the risk of  paying extensively to change certain parts.In the meantime, Mr. Hylton says the door is still open to members of  the used car industry to air concerns about the new Policy.

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Hylton defends changes to car import policy

Patrick Hylton supports measures to broaden tax net

Patrick Hylton, Managing Director of NCB Group, has thrown his support behind the governments’ attempt to broaden the tax net.

The government wanted to grant the tax authority powers to go directly after the assets of tax cheats, but has now said it will amend that provision for a court order to be sought first. Either way, Mr Hylton said on Friday that he had no problem with the measure.  

Mr. Hylton said it was left to be seen  how successful the measure will be in raking in taxes. He added that the asset tax charges to financial institutions could be temporary.

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Patrick Hylton supports measures to broaden tax net

Jamaica seeking to establish Hemp industry - Hylton

The Government of Jamaica is pursuing the imminent establishment of a hemp industry, designed to exploit the huge potential of the versatile plant.

Changes to the Dangerous Drugs Act were recently announced to decriminalise the possession and smoking of small quantities of the related marijuana (ganja) plant and for its use in medicinal research.

But according to Anthony Hylton, Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, the benefits to be derived from promoting the many uses of hemp will not be ignored.

“The interest there is huge; the investment possibility is significant and we have to get the regulations correct, because the secret to that is having the balance and the proper regulations in place. So we are focused on that,” the Minister said, while addressing the annual general meeting of the Jamaica Manufacturers Associatio in Kingston on Wednesday.

Hemp vs Ganja

Hemp and Ganja both come from the same plant – Cannabis Sativa L. Hemp, used in industrial applications, contains only about 0.3% – 1.5% THC (Tetrahydrocannabinoids, the intoxicating ingredients that provides the high smokers crave) while the ganja that is commonly smoked contains about 5% – 10% or more THC.

Hemp fibre is said to be the longest, strongest and most durable of all natural fibres. It was used for thousands of years in many parts of the world, including Jamaica, before falling out of favour in some places like the United States (because of its association with marijuana) which influenced its decline here as well.

Hemp is said to produce four times as much fibre per acre as pine trees and is used to make a wide variety of products, including paper, textiles, ropes, even building materials. It is an important source of biomass for fuel and is used to make a clean burning ethanol.

The seed and seed-oil from hemp are high in protein, essential fatty and amino acids, and vitamins.

SOURCES: hempethics.weebly.com/industrial-hemp-vs-cannabis.html

             www.naihc.org/hemp_information/content/hemp.mj.html

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Jamaica seeking to establish Hemp industry - Hylton

Jamaica seeking to establish Hemp industry - Hylton

The Government of Jamaica is pursuing the imminent establishment of a hemp industry, designed to exploit the huge potential of the versatile plant.

Changes to the Dangerous Drugs Act were recently announced to decriminalise the possession and smoking of small quantities of the related marijuana (ganja) plant and for its use in medicinal research.

But according to Anthony Hylton, Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, the benefits to be derived from promoting the many uses of hemp will not be ignored.

“The interest there is huge; the investment possibility is significant and we have to get the regulations correct, because the secret to that is having the balance and the proper regulations in place. So we are focused on that,” the Minister said, while addressing the annual general meeting of the Jamaica Manufacturers Associatio in Kingston on Wednesday.

Hemp vs Ganja

Hemp and Ganja both come from the same plant – Cannabis Sativa L. Hemp, used in industrial applications, contains only about 0.3% – 1.5% THC (Tetrahydrocannabinoids, the intoxicating ingredients that provides the high smokers crave) while the ganja that is commonly smoked contains about 5% – 10% or more THC.

Hemp fibre is said to be the longest, strongest and most durable of all natural fibres. It was used for thousands of years in many parts of the world, including Jamaica, before falling out of favour in some places like the United States (because of its association with marijuana) which influenced its decline here as well.

Hemp is said to produce four times as much fibre per acre as pine trees and is used to make a wide variety of products, including paper, textiles, ropes, even building materials. It is an important source of biomass for fuel and is used to make a clean burning ethanol.

The seed and seed-oil from hemp are high in protein, essential fatty and amino acids, and vitamins.

SOURCES: hempethics.weebly.com/industrial-hemp-vs-cannabis.html

             www.naihc.org/hemp_information/content/hemp.mj.html

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Jamaica seeking to establish Hemp industry - Hylton

No decision on Goat Island development — Hylton

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Wednesday, August 28, 2013 | 7:13 PM

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister (MIIC) Anthony Hylton says that no decision has been made by Cabinet with regard to Chinese investors’ proposal to develop a port facility and logistics and industrial park in the vicinity of Goat Island.Government is in the process of striking a deal with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) to construct a trans-shipment port in the Portland Bight/Goat Island area.Hylton, in a release Wednesday evening said that while his ministry continued to lead the Logistic Hub initiative, the MIIC team works closely with other government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), including the Ministries of Transport, Works and Housing; and Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, and Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.He said that the Goat Island investment would only be one component of the government’s priority Logistics Hub Initiative, which includes other ports, airports and special economic zones.Environmentalists earlier this week vowed to take the government to court over the proposed development.They argued that the Portland Bight area, because of its coral reefs and mangroves, has been declared a protected area under the Natural Resources Conservation Authority Act (NRCA), and two fish sanctuaries have been declared under the Fisheries Industry Act to protect the fish nursery there.Thousands of fishers would be deprived of their livelihoods, and the eco-tourism potential of the area, unique in Jamaica because of its biodiversity, would be wiped out if the port is allowed, the environmentalists said.They also contend that government has not demonstrated any exercise of due diligence or consultation with the public and has not shown any consideration of alternatives.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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Taskforce to aid in growth of local animation industry -- Hylton

Latest News

Thursday, July 18, 2013 | 10:25 AM

KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — A high-level working group has been convened to aid in facilitating the growth and development of Jamaica’s animation industry.The group, which has been assembled by Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Anthony Hylton, comprises of stakeholders from the public and private sectors, the animation industry, training institutions, business support services, and financial institutions.“The taskforce has already started to craft the policy framework required to support all aspects of the industry, through the provision of the most enabling environment,” the minister said (July 17), as he addressed an animation workshop at JAMPRO’s New Kingston offices. Hylton said that through JAMPRO and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a finishing school will be developed to equip animators with the skills to compete on the world stage.He said that the administration is already in discussion with the HEART Trust/NTA for the inclusion of an animation workforce training course, to be added to their curriculum, “to produce Jamaica’s first home grown batch of animators”. Currently valued at over US$200 billion, the global animation industry has been growing at a tremendous pace over the past four years, expanding by over $1 billion per year, which is equivalent to a 20 per cent yearly growth rate.  Hylton said that this presents tremendous economic opportunities for Jamaica and the Government is committed to ensuring that “we do not miss the animation boat”. He noted that the network of animators and animation outfits in Jamaica continues to grow, with four animation studios exporting their services globally. “Outsourcing in the animation industry is lucrative, and makes for good business sense because gone are the days when any job is completed in one location. In 2012, global animation revenue in entertainment alone generated over US$100 billion, most of which was specific to the video game industry, and discrete elements of any video game are produced in several spaces.  The ship of outsourcing animation is sailing, and Jamaica needs to be on board,” said Hylton.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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Taskforce to aid in growth of local animation industry -- Hylton