KINGSTON, Jamaica — Hundreds of millions of dollars in employer contributions owed to the HEART/NSTA-Trust remain uncollected, the training agency has revealed.

 In its written responses to the Parliament’s Public administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) the HEART Trust said that as at June 30, 2021, there were 1,286 firms with audited three per cent contribution arrears amounting to $723 million.

According to the Trust, the oldest contributor liability dates back to March 2009.

 With $406 million, a total of 541 businesses in Kingston and St Andrew are responsible for the lion’s share of the arrears.

 The full amount owed by collectorate is listed in the table below:

Collectorate

Balance

($)

No. of firms

Kingston

406,058,224.93

541

Montego Bay

101,792,698.34

124

St. Ann’s Bay

27,322,350.00

81

Mandeville

38,900,090.80

69

Spanish Town

41,881,297.75

63

Savanna-La-Mar

15,542,821.20

51

May Pen

8,156,884.72

42

Portmore

7,645,392.53

41

Santa Cruz

6,039,738.12

38

Brown’s Town

6,983,900.97

33

Port Antonio

2,042,894.94

24

Port Maria

20,655,372.20

23

Lucea

2,952,934.15

21

Morant Bay

2,379,699.50

21

Falmouth

4,601,307.33

19

Old Harbour

13,119,147.86

18

Linstead

2,586,083.47

14

Black River

1,274,366.76

12

Lionel Town

7,023,959.68

12

Christiana

1,619,935.79

8

Moneague

1,028,177.82

7

Jackson Town

626,291.28

7

Annotto Bay

1,030,558.45

6

Chapelton

100,540.23

5

Port Maria

395,039.04

4

Buff Bay

675.18

1

Falmouth

1,248,424.24

1

Grand Total

$723,008,807.28

1286

Employers become eligible to pay HEART Trust contributions when their total gross emoluments (wage bill) exceed $14, 444. Each month, eligible employers contribute to the Heart Trust Fund three per cent of the total amount of monthly emoluments paid to employees.