St Thomas tax collectorates rake in $6 million

MORANT BAY — The Port Morant and Morant Bay tax collectorates in St Thomas collected more than $6 million in revenues between April 2001 and January 2002.

Lancelot Comrie, deputy mayor and chairman of the finance committee of the St Thomas Parish Council, told the Jamaica Information Service that $3.5 million was collected in property taxes by the Morant Bay collectorate for the April 2001 to January 2002 period, compared with $2.6 million collected the previous year.

“I think overall it was a tremendous improvement and there is room for even more improvement,” he said, noting that the amount represented a 75 per cent increase in collection.

Property taxes collected at the Port Morant collectorate amounted to some $2.6 million for the period under review, compared to $1.7 million collected for the previous year.

Comrie said that revenues for trade licences in Morant Bay moved from $255,672 in the last fiscal year to $439,630 for the current fiscal period u to January 2002.

He noted a similar increase at Port Morant with revenues for trade licences moving from $221,075 in fiscal year April 2000 to 2001, to $224,445 up to January of the current fiscal year.

Comrie said that the increase was as a result of the “tremendous work” put in by officers at the Inland Revenue Department in St Thomas and the finance committee of the parish council after identifying “shortfalls last year and concentrating more on tax collection”.

Renewed effort to reduce spread of HIV/AIDS in Trelawny

FALMOUTH, Trelawny — Medical Officer of Health for Trelawny Dr Rao Ponnado has described the problem of HIV/AIDS in Trelawny as “alarming”, stating that “we need to do a lot of things to help reduce the spread”.

And, plans are being put in place to dissolve the Trelawny Parish Action Aids Committee and establish an active body, in order to help control the spread of HIV/AIDS in the parish.

At a recent meeting of the Falmouth chapter of the Action AIDS Committee at the health department in Falmouth, it was decided that a date should be set for the election of a new executive body.

Dr Ponnado, pointing out that a public education programmes would be put in place by the new committee to help educate the public, said the health department would be targeting schools, and adolescents in particular, “through education sessions for behavioural change, and to inculcate the practice of healthy lifestyle.”

As part of the work plan, a link will be formed with young persons and the general community to establish and strengthen one youth-friendly clinic, clubs in three health districts, and design and implement World AIDS Day activities.

Students attend career fair in Ocho Rios

OCHO RIOS, St Ann — About 850 students from 19 schools in St Ann and St Mary attended the career fair of the Rotary Club of Ocho Rios, held at the Renaissance Jamaica Grande Hotel in Ocho Rios, recently.

The fair exposed the students to various career opportunities, including tourism, mechanical engineering, nursing, teaching, cosmetology, banking and photography. It was opened by Radcliffe Walters, Custos of St Ann, under the theme: ‘Choosing the Right Career for Life’.

President of the club, Earl Watson, said it was “the responsibility of Rotary to provide vocational guidance and training for young people, and increase opportunities for employment”.

He said that the Rotary Club’s major project for the year was the setting up of a skills training centre at the Ocho Rios Baptist Church, to assist unemployed young persons to learn a skill.