News and Updates | Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC)

On The Corner With EPOC | Vote For Policies And Not Politicians

Residents of St Thomas are chiding successive governments for not following through on plans to develop the eastern parish.
Despite often complaining of being the forgotten parish, the residents have remained loyal to their two political representatives.
The People’s National Party’s Dr Fenton Ferguson has controlled St Thomas Eastern for the past 24 years, while the Jamaica Labour Party’s James Robertson has been member of parliament for St Thomas Western for the last 15 years.
But speaking during The Gleaner’s On the Corner series with Keith Duncan, co-chairman of the Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC), last Thursday, Hansel Whyte challenged residents of the parish to not blindly vote along party lines but to do so based on policies proposed and delivered to develop the parish.
“Government comes and government goes, and everyone come make promises that the parish will be developed and up to now we haven’t seen anything,” Whyte said.
“Vote for policies, not politicians, because we are not getting anywhere.”
Follow through and make plans work
Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced earlier this year that a town centre would be constructed in St Thomas, along with a four-lane highway from Harbour View to Bull Bay. He also said three roads between Bull Bay and Morant Bay would be upgraded.
Whyte, who has resided in the parish for the past 31 years, is however fearful that if there is a change of government after the next general election, these plans for the parish could be abandoned.
“Whenever a member of parliament or a prime minister come and say they are going to do something to develop
St Thomas, as soon as there is a change of government, there is a change of plan,” Whyte said.
“All we are asking them to do is just follow through. If there is a good policy in place that can generate income, follow through and make it work.”
Duncan agreed with Whyte’s sentiment as he shared the view that “no matter which administration is in power, they need to follow through on the development plan for St Thomas”.
Whyte further lamented the lack of decent employment opportunities for persons within the parish and said he believed it was one issue the government of the day needs to focus on.
“People with all degree have to be packing bag in supermarket, a work inna bar or run taxi,” Whyte said.
“So we have to think about St Thomas, and if we really want to move St Thomas forward. The politicians need to put aside politics and work with the policies that are there.”

Jamaica Records 4.4 Per Cent Inflation In April To June Quarter – Bank of Jamaica

Governor of the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) Brian Wynter says the country recorded an inflation rate of 4.4 per cent during the April to June quarter.
Wynter says this was slightly above the 4.1 per cent recorded in the previous quarter.
He says the rate for the quarter is on track to fall within the Bank’s target range of four to six per cent for the 2017-18 financial year.
The central bank governor told reporters at a BOJ quarterly press briefing yesterday that the uptick in inflation was as a result of the impact of rains and the government’s tax package.
Wynter said the overall effect on food prices from the May rains is expected to continue to be felt for a few more months before normalizing before the end of the current fiscal period.

TAJ Exceeds First Quarter Collections Target

Preliminary figures indicate that Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) has exceeded the first quarter collections target for the 2017/18 fiscal year. The net projection for June 2017 was $26.2B. During the period June 1 – 30, 2017 however, net collections totalled $32.8B, representing 125.2% of projections. The year to date (YTD) net collections now stand at $73.6B which is 109.4% of the $67.3B projected for the period. Refund payments made during the same period totalled $1.0B. Year-to-date refund payments totalled approximately $3.9B.

A review of the first quarter performance over the last three financial years shows that the target has consistently been surpassed, 103.1% in 2015/16; 108.5% in 2016/17 and 109.4% this year.This positive outcome, so early in the financial year is as a result of the continuation of focused compliance strategies which have resulted in TAJ surpassing its annual target for the past two fiscal years.

These compliance efforts included closer monitoring of arrears which was facilitated through the implementation of the Revenue Administration Information System (RAiS); the mandating of medium taxpayers to file their GCT returns online; the application of a system generated penalty of $5,000 per month per return for late filing. Additionally, the positive outcome may be attributed to the implementation of strategies such as the threshold abuse and new taxpayer registration programmes.

The service and education push continued as Taxpayer Education Teams, Technical Specialists, Client Relationship Managers and Customer Care Agents interfaced with taxpayers to educate and inform them of their rights and obligations as well as provide tax information and assistance. Seminars, workshops, sensitization sessions and speaking engagements were some of the strategies employed. Traditional and social media were also employed to make information more readily available to taxpayers.

TAJ will continue to utilise all the avenues available to encourage and foster voluntary compliance through moral suasion. Notwithstanding, tax evaders will be aggressively pursued through intelligence and enforcement actions and brought to book.

Oversight committee seeking to engage workers in public sector transformation

Co-chairman of the Public Sector Transformation Oversight Committee (PSTOC) Danny Roberts says the committee has endorsed a survey that will assist in engaging public sector workers in fulfilling its mandate.
Roberts said that the survey, to be undertaken by the Hugh Lawson Shearer Trade Union Education Institute and the Mona School of Business and Management at the University of the West Indies, will allow employees to contribute openly to the discussions and the direction of organisational growth and transformation.
“This will provide the starting point for further engagement between the Public Sector Transformation Oversight Committee and public sector worker”, he said.
The decision was taken during the third quarterly meeting of PSTOC on July 12, which reviewed the second-quarter benchmarks and commitments under the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies, as set out under the Precautionary Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) between the Government of Jamaica and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
PSTOC is the broad-based committee — comprising stakeholder representatives of the public and private sectors, trade unions and academia — set up by Prime Minister Andrew Holness in November 2016 to review the Government’s implementation of the public sector transformation-related activities and structural benchmarks and report to the public.
Roberts told the Jamaica Observer that the committee has taken note that all the structural benchmarks under the stand-by agreement with the IMF have been met for the month of May.
These included: (a) Identifying the positions that will be affected due to the implementation of shared corporate services in human resources; (b) instituting rules to prohibit the rehiring of participants in the early retirement programme into the public sector for at least five years; and (c) submitting to the governor general rules and standards for the Public Service Commission, for limiting the approval of continued employment after retirement age, including as contract officers.

The committee noted that the time-bound plan for the reintegration of eligible public bodies into central government, which is to be submitted to the Cabinet by the end of July, is on track.

The Government also met the structural benchmark to submit to Parliament by June 15, 2017, all necessary legislative changes to direct all earmarked revenues from three public bodies to the consolidated fund.
In fact, Parliament approved three bills last week, which will facilitate the three public entities — the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority, the Tourism Enhancement Fund, and the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education — being incorporated into the Government’s central operations.
The Bills require that payments to the three entities will be collected by the collector of taxes, instead of going directly to them. Their passage fulfilled the benchmark agreement with the fund.
“What it means is that we will take their budget into central Government and give them what they need [to operate],” Finance Minister Audley Shaw told the House of Representatives on July 11, when the Bills were passed.
“The committee wishes to remind the public that the structural benchmarks are critical to the success of the current IMF programme and that the work of the Public Sector Transformation Implementation Unit has been closely monitored to ensure the removal of all obstacles that could interfere with the implementation dates,” Roberts told the Observer.
He said that the committee also reviewed the implementation schedule for the commitments under the SBA programme.
“It noted that the functions of the Agricultural Credit Board and the Department of Cooperatives and Friendly Societies have been integrated and that the completion of the mergers awaits the passage of the Agricultural Loan Societies and Approved Organisations legislation by Parliament,” Roberts said.
“The legislation setting up the Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority has been passed. The passage of the regulations to give effect to the merger of the cocoa, coconut and coffee industry boards into the Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority is to commence shortly.
He said that in the area of social protection, the committee received updates on a number of commitments, including the National Identification System, the graduation strategy for Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH) householders, and the review of the impact of PATH benefits on improving school attendance.
“While the deadline for the PATH graduation strategy was met, the committee took note of the delay in the field work for the review of the impact of PATH benefits due to the rains in April and May,” Roberts added.
He said that the committee requested the earliest finalisation of the Change Management Strategy, and took note of the fact that a change management expert has to be brought on board shortly.
Source: Jamaica Observer

Economic Growth Council Concerned About Missed Targets And Deadline In Growth Agenda

The Economic Growth Council has raised concern that the Government has missed some of its deadlines.
The Michael Lee-Chin-chaired Council in its April to June Report to the nation points out that the Government missed its May deadline to complete Public Procurement Regulations and Handbook of Public Sector Procedures.
Commenting on the missed deadline, Lee-Chin said the proposed legislation will be an important tool in the drive towards economic growth.
The Public Procurement Act provides for the establishment of the Procurement Policy Office, the Public Procurement Commission and strengthening and expansion of the function of the Procurement Review Board that will regulate and harmonise the public procurement process.
Meanwhile, the Economic Growth Council has raised concern that the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and the Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ) did not submit to Cabinet a plan to divest up to 20 per cent of their assets by the May deadline.
Lee-Chin has called for the entities to fulfil the mandate.
He notes that the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation is finalising the submission with respect to the UDC assets and the FCJ Board is still in the process of putting together a list of assets to be divested.
Source: The Gleaner