Jamaica Customs implementing measures to reduce transaction time

Saturday, January 10, 2015 | 11:54 AM    

KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) is implementing new measures to streamline its business processes and reduce transaction and waiting times for customers.

“These customer service initiatives not only speak to the service delivery provided by our staff, but also all our business processes and of course updating our information systems technology,” said Major Richard Reese, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the JCA.

Reese said that the agency is continually striving to enhance its services in an effort “to establish a culture that exemplifies quality customer service and high maintenance of service standards.”

He noted that since receiving executive agency status in 2013 the entity has gone through a number of organisational changes in accordance with its long term modernisation plan.

“We are doing very well both in terms of revenue and trade facilitation within the confines of the existing legislation. So, we are now in the process of amending the laws to facilitate better trade,” the CEO said, adding that some of the laws have already been changed to support electronic transactions.

“Our regulations are to be amended to support the flexi-work week to look at shift systems, so we are continually in the mode of change and reviewing our business processes,” he said.

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Jamaica Customs implementing measures to reduce transaction time

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

NWC activates emergency measures

The National Water Commission (NWC) has activated what could be considered as emergency measures, to address the dwindling supplies in the corporate area catchment facilities.

The commission had previously stated that roughly one month’s supply of water is left in these facilities.
Corporate Public Relations Manager at the NWC Charles Buchanan says further restrictions are almost a certainty, but this will be combined with other strategies.

“We are going to be putting in place other measures for example to move water from other systems that are not being affected. Most of our underground water facilities are doing very well, so NWC is putting in place a number of different things  – in terms of transferring water among its systems,” Buchanan said.

The country has been facing severe drought conditions for the past several months and according to reports from the National Meteorological service, the situation could remain the same in the coming weeks.

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NWC activates emergency measures

NWC eyeing stronger measures to collect $12b owed by customers

BY ALICIA DUNKLEY-WILLIS Senior staff reporter dunkleya@jamaicaobserver.com

Tuesday, February 04, 2014    

WITH over $12 billion owed to it by delinquent consumers, hundreds of whom are now before the courts, the National Water Commission (NWC) has warned that it might have to take even harsher steps to recover the arrears.

“Included in the court process is the legal course the commission has where we can take out caveats against properties so a person can be prevented from selling or otherwise utilise their property because of failure to pay their water supply bill; that’s a strong provision,” corporate public relations manager at the NWC, Charles Buchanan, told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview.

“We also have provision where the commission can have the property sold to recover the amounts owed. That is even stronger. The commission has indicated that it will be pursuing these; it is something we would rather not pursue, but it is something we may be forced to use,” Buchanan said.

“Every month the Revenue Recovery Division has brought dozens of new cases of persons who are being prosecuted for trespassing on the works of the commission and we have also brought dozens of others every month for failure to honour their NWC bills over extended periods of time. There are hundreds of such cases before the courts,” Buchanan told the Observer.

In the meantime, he said the NWC, while trying to make its debtors pay, has itself been incurring costs.

“It is a time-consuming and costly strategy… for example, we have incurred costs from our own lawyers having to dedicate a lot of their time to go to court, as well as other employees having to spend a lot of time developing these cases and, as you know, there is a significant backlog in the courts, so it can be quite time-consuming. So you do a prosecution and you have to go to court repeatedly,” Buchanan noted.

“In addition, even when the court decision is made, the commission may have to take further civil action to get anything specifically because if the court says 30 days in prison or x fine, that’s a payment, as I understand it, to the courts,” he said, pointing out that “the issue of the commission getting a court order to say, ‘pay over x amount by such time’ is another process that itself takes more time”.

Admitting that he was “not sure” that the amounts recovered compensated for the legal costs incurred or even covered the full sums owed to the NWC, Buchanan said it is still “a necessary part of our attempt to encourage persons to pay for what they have utilised”.

“It’s important for us to show that it does not pay, it’s wrong, it’s embarrassing, it’s a crime, that’s a large part of what we want to do and to encourage persons to recognise that there is a moral imperative for them to honour their obligations and to not illegally connect to our systems,” he added.

Asked the amount owed to date he said, “It’s in the billions, over $12 billion, it’s a dynamic figure.”

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NWC eyeing stronger measures to collect $12b owed by customers

Trinidad PM, Opposition leader agree on measures to deal with crime

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar and Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley have agreed on a number of initiatives to stem rising crime in the twin island state, with the government insisting that “crime is everybody’s business”.

The meeting followed the recent murders, including two 16-year-olds, in a section of the capital earlier this month.In an address to the nation following the meeting Thursday night, Persad Bissessar said that no political party, no individual government can solve crime alone. “This is neither a party nor a political issue. The fight against crime should be something that unites us, not divides us. It will take the collective efforts of the government, all other political groups, the protective services, non-government organisations, businesses and citizens. “Crime is everybody’s business and we cannot end it if we put partisan interests ahead of the good of our country.”Rowley told reporters that the opposition is com¬mit¬ted to working with the government in the fight against crime and reiterated that a collaborative approach was needed.“We are saying that this matter requires urgent action; we will not put any political impediment in the government’s way in treating with the loss of security and loss of opportunities for people in East Port of Spain or anywhere else,” he said.Persad Bissessar said the meeting agreed to devise a new system for the appointment of a Commissioner of Police and to boost the morale within the police service by filling vacancies and undertaking a comprehensive review of promotions in service.There was also an agreement to create a specific offence for witness tampering and intimidation and there would also be a review of the controversial Anti-Gang legislation.Persad Bissessar said with regards to the Bail Act, consideration will be given to deny bail to a convicted criminal if after conviction on a first offence, the person is charged a second time.She said that her administration had undertaken a number of initiatives to deal with the crime situation, and that approval has been given for the police to form a Rapid Response Unit (RRU) and to purchase 300 new vehicles.“This unit will consist of response teams and will be equipped with advanced technological devices to improve police response time to crimes that are in progress. Alongside this, officers will be on patrol throughout the length and breadth of the country,” she said, adding that the teams would initially be focused on the most crime-prone areas in Trinidad and Tobago.“We expect the Unit to be fully operational before the end of the year,” she said, adding that the government has also embarked on a specialised training programme for Special Reserve Police officers. She also called on other stakeholders including religious leaders, teachers,community groups “to continue to work with us so that together we may create safe and secure communities and a country free from fear and the horrendous crimes we are currently witnessing”.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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Trinidad PM, Opposition leader agree on measures to deal with crime