ROSE HAll, St James — Chairman of the Media Association of Jamaica (MAJ), Gary Allen has warned that most media organisations would collapse should the suggested five percent levy on their incomes be applied.

Allen was making reference to the recommendation during discussions about policy for a five percent levy on the gross revenue of all media organisations.

“We note that in the discussion about policy there is is the suggestion of a five percent levy of gross revenues in media organisations to go towards some development fund or ome licensing fee. Five percent of the gross revenues of most media–probably all except one or two–five percent would immediately put them into losses. It means it would put you against the wall put you in bankrupcy territory,” Allen noted.

The MAJ head, who was speaking Saturday night in Montego Bay at the award ceremony that was a part of the 30-year celebration of the Montego Bay-based Western Mirror community newspaper, recommended that the idea be ditched.

” I am encouraging those persons who are thinking about a five percent levy on gross revenue in the media to abandon those idea, it is a bad idea, it would lead to the collapse of media and our history of media has been to enable it not to cause it to collapse,” Allen argued.

He was, however,impresed with the progress made with regards to the access to information.

” The media association presented to that because we feel that it ought to be far more responsive, it must be something where there can be accountability and dependability when we seek information under access to information. We still believe that the official secrets act should go,” he said.