Your news in a nutshell
- PAHO to help assess JDF mystery illness
- Scotia revises cheque encashment fee
- Unions concerned about possible new taxes
- Offer incentives to good credit customers
- Promoters to show receipts for meat
- $900m in HAJ losses projected
1. PAHO to help assess JDF mystery illness
While 29 soldiers have been returned to commence training at the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) facilities, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) was called in yesterday to assess what exactly caused 80 soldiers to fall ill from a respiratory infection. See full story on The Gleaner’s website.
2. Scotia revises cheque encashment fee
Scotiabank Jamaica last night announced it was revising an increase in cheque encashment fees after receiving feedback from customers. Concerns over the spike in cheque encashment fees had been raised in letter published in The Gleaner on December 13, in which writer Joy Fairclough noted that cost had skyrocketed from $140 to $1,385 for non-customers, starting in November. See full story on The Gleaner’s website.
3. Unions concerned about possible new taxes
The about turn by Finance Minister Audley Shaw on the proposed imposition of new indirect taxes to fund the Government’s income tax break is causing unease among some unions who have expressed concern about the administration’s plans. The second part of the election promise is to be fulfilled in April 2017. See full story on The Gleaner’s website.
4. Offer incentives to good credit customers
Jamaica’s financial institutions are not moving fast enough to offer lower interest rates to customers with good credit reports, the head of one local credit bureau has charged. Instead, Craig Stephen, chief executive officer of CreditInfo Jamaica, said financial institutions, in the main, are using credit reports simply to approve or deny customers access to credit. See full story on The Gleaner’s website.
5. Promoters to show receipts for meat
Amid the expected increase in parties and street dances over the Christmas season, the police have advised that promoters of events where goat, pig and cattle meats will be sold must produce a valid receipt for the meat to be used.The advisory comes amid what the police say has been a spike in the larceny of goats and pigs across the island over the past two weeks. See full story on The Gleaner’s website.
6. $900m in HAJ losses projected
The Government is projecting that the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ) will lose $900 million this year. This would push the total losses over three billion dollars in three years. In the past two years, the HAJ has racked up losses of $2.9 billion. See full story on The Gleaner’s website.
