Taxation Policy

The Taxation Policy Division is responsible for the development and implementation of tax policies geared at guiding the development and maintenance of an efficient, equitable and effective tax system, consistent with Jamaica’s national objectives and international trade obligation.

The Taxation Policy Division is responsible for the development and implementation of tax policies geared at guiding the development and maintenance of an efficient, equitable and effective tax system, consistent with Jamaica’s national objectives and international trade obligation.

The division is responsible for developing and maintaining a tax regime, which provides the required revenue for the financing of government programmes and commitments, encourage saving and investment, and promote equity.

Objectives

The primary objectives of the Division are:

To ensure the tax base is broadened and that equity is maintained;
To ensure that Jamaica’s interest in taxation issues is protected regionally and internationally;
To ensure that tax legislation is consistent with GOJ’s economic policies and encourages savings and investment;
To ensure the effective management of human, financial and technical resources.

Mission

To provide and maintain a tax regime which provides the required revenue for financing government’s programmes and commitments encouraging savings and investment and promoting social justice. This is achieved by tax measures, which broaden the tax base by creating a system that facilitates voluntary compliance by being efficient simple and fair.

Services

Common External Tariff Suspension
Discretionary Tax Relief
Duty Concession
International Tax Treaty Review
Tax Mediation
Tax Policy Review
Taxation Policy Advice

Units and Sections

There are three (4) units within the Division, these being International Trade Relations, Research and Analysis, Policy Review and Development and the Tax Relief Unit.

International Trade Relations Unit

This unit, which is responsible for the monitoring of developments in international trade relations to ensure that taxation policy is consistent with the obligations of Jamaica under the various treaties and agreements. It also ensures that the position taken by the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service on trade issues is articulated at local, regional and international meetings.

Policy Review and Development Unit

The unit develops and proposes tax policies, gives advice on tax policy issues, and reviews the consistency of existing policies with Government’s macroeconomic objects. They recommend
changes where necessary and develop the parameters within which applications for incentives are considered under the relevant tax laws.

The Policy Review Unit also seeks to administer a equitable and efficient system of relief based on provisions under the various acts. This is achieved through the processing of request for relief and assessing them on a case by case basis against the established legislation and making the necessary submissions to the Minister for his decision, as well as, through proposals submitted by interest groups.

Research and Analysis Unit

The unit designs, organizes and directs a wide range of studies on taxation in order to provide the data required for the formulation of taxation policy and develops and maintains econometric tax models to facilitate analysis of the revenue effect, economic impact and distributional consequences of changes in tax policy.

Tax Relief Unit

The unit processes on a daily basis a large number of requests spanning a large cross section of taxes. These include:

Motor Vehicle Concessions
Customs Duty
General Consumption Tax (GCT)
Stamp Duty & Transfer Tax
Withholding Tax
Income Tax
Property Tax and
Approved Charities etc.

The Tax Relief and Policy Review and Development Units collaborate with other revenue agencies and Government departments to uncover any weaknesses in tax policies and/or legislation.