Grants targeted at occupational groups that have been particularly affected by COVID measures including barbers, hairdressers, bar operators, market vendors, craft vendors, taxi and bus operators among other groups who are registered with the appropriate authority MSME’s with sales of J$50 million or less who filed tax returns and payroll returns in 2019/20 Supporting Employees with Transfer of cash (SET)Įmployees in any sector who lost their job after March 10 (date of Jamaica’s first COVID case) Jamaica Covid Allocation of Resources for Employees (CARE) Measuresīusiness Employee Support and Transfer of cash (BEST)īusinesses in the tourism sector that retain workers earning less than the lowest tax threshold of J$1.5 million The Auditor General’s Department is expected to publish an ex-post audit of COVID-related spending by end-FY2021/22. 2 They intend to fulfill their RFI commitments by making publicly available key information on procurement contracts, including beneficial ownership information of awarded companies by end of FY2021/22. The authorities intend to continue to adhere to best practices in procurement and contracts awarded related to the pandemic. The increased fiscal needs were financed through a drawdown of deposits (which, in turn, resulted from recent divestment of public assets) as well as financing from IFIs. In addition, the General Consumption Tax was reduced, and temporary tax credits were offered to SMEs.
The government also reprioritized spending toward medical equipment, the training of healthcare workers, temporary income support to workers, grants to businesses, and social assistance payments to vulnerable segments of the population. The fiscal responsibility law (FRL) was suspended for one year (FY 2020/21) allowing a reduction in the fiscal balance from 0.9 to -3.1 percent of GDP. The reopening, including of tourist areas, was gradual and accompanied by capacity limits for social gatherings and operation protocols for high contact businesses. Protocols for arriving visitors were adopted, including screening and risk assessment on arrival, followed by a risk-based quarantine and limits on movements.
Health measures included cancellation of all large public and private events, school closings, community quarantines, curfews, and the closure of the border. The authorities reacted swiftly with public health measures and a fiscal stimulus package of 3 percent of GDP during FY 2020/21 and FY 2021/22 1to support jobs and protect the most vulnerable segments of the population.
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