Dear Editor,

The Jamaica Association of Transport Owners and Operators (JATOO) is calling on the Government to seriously consider the change in the amnesty period as proposed by the Minister of National Security Robert Montague. The minister will need to extend the amnesty for an additional two weeks for the payment of traffic fines.

JATOO is asking for an extension of the amnesty period up to the time that the new Traffic Act is passed by Parliament and becomes the law of the land.

Our information is that up to the end of the recent amnesty period only about 50 per cent of the targeted amount was collected. An extension would give the Government more time to bring in these uncollected funds at a lower cost than how it was done before the amnesty period.

The amnesty period came at a time when the largest cost of operation to transport operators — gas — increased every month. This leaves operators very little financial room to pay these unverified claims as traffic fines, especially in an atmosphere where we do not have any increase in income, nor relief from rising cost of operation.

The present amnesty also does not provide a window to question and verify the fines that are attached to motorists. Operators are given the list of offences and told to pay everything. No questions are entertained.

JATOO argues that an extension of the amnesty up to the implementation of the new Traffic Act would be able to accommodate these anomalies while we seek to provide better justice to our country.

Louis Barton

President

Jamaica Association of Transport Owners and Operators