Minister of Finance and the Public Service
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Hon. Nigel Clarke, DPhil., MP, (2nd left) Minister of Finance and the Public Service and Lilia Burunciuc (2nd right), World Bank Country Director for the Caribbean Countries sign a loan agreement to support the Jamaica Social Protection for Increased Resilience and Opportunities Project during a visibility ceremony at the ministry on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. Looking on are Collette Roberts Risden (left), Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Social Security and Dr. Jaime Saavedra Chanduvi (right), World Bank Human Development Director for Latin America and the Caribbean Region.
Kingston, Jamaica: Wednesday, December 31, 2025
Reference is made to Ministry of Finance and the Public Service Press Release of November 6, 2025 regarding the relief of customs duty and general consumption tax (GCT) on a specified list of items.
The Government of Jamaica wholeheartedly thanks all those who responded to the devastation of the Category 5 Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica with the outpouring of relief supplies. We are grateful for the many efforts in cash and/or kind. This has helped families and Jamaica’s relief effort significantly.
We understand that due to the Christmas season and the intervening holidays, the capacity of shippers, freight forwarders, brokers and the ports were significantly constrained. As a result, some donors may not have had their donations arrive on or before December 31, 2025, which is the cut-off date for relief of import duty and GCT upon importation of selected items. As such, the Government of Jamaica is extending the period of relief to January 15, 2026. This date will be a hard stop.
While the Government of Jamaica welcomes the gifts and donations, the decline in tax revenues at Customs since Hurricane Melissa has been significant, totaling approximately JMD $12 billion.
As Jamaica transits from the relief phase to recovery & reconstruction, we ask our friends and families abroad to help by utilizing the normal channels for items sent to Jamaica for relatives and friends as the January 15, 2026 deadline is a hard stop with respect to the relief of import duty and GCT that was provided as a result of Hurricane Melissa.
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For further information contact:
Corporate Communication & Public Relations Branch
Ministry of Finance and the Public Service
30 National Heroes Circle
Kingston 4
Tel: (876) 932-4656/4660/4655
Email: Shakiel.Rochester-Shorter@mof.gov.jm; Suzell.Wray@mof.gov.jm
Contact: Shakiel Rochester Shorter/Suzell Wray
The Hon. Nigel Clarke, D.Phil., MP
Minister of Finance and the Public Service
30 National Heroes Circle, Kingston 4
Tel: (876) 932-4656 / 4660 / 4655
Eml: opedjamaica@gmail.com
The Ministry of Finance and the Public Service (MOFPS) has signed a J$1.7 billion financial agreement with the European Union (EU) for the Digital Transitioning Programme aimed at supporting Jamaica’s Information Communication Technology (ICT) Policy. A handover ceremony to mark the agreement between the two partners was held at the MOFPS on Thursday, May 21, 2026.
Hon. Fayval Williams, MP, CFA, Minister of Finance and the Public Service (MOFPS), is urging permanent secretaries and heads of entities to be innovative and strategic as they lead in building a resilient and future-proof public service. She made the call during the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) Service Excellence Conference 2026 held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
Following a meeting on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, between the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service (MOFPS) and the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU), both parties are pleased to advise that an agreement has been reached to resume annual performance-based salary increments.
Honourable Fayval Williams, Minister of Finance and the Public Service, announces the commencement of the search for a new Governor of the Bank of Jamaica (“BOJ”) who would be expected to succeed Governor Richard Byles on the completion of his term of appointment on August 18, 2026. The search will take place in keeping with the principles of transparency and good governance.
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