THE 2025 General Election has been unprecedented for the sheer number of promises that have been made by both the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP), as they battle to win over voters.

It was obvious from as early as March that Jamaicans were headed to the polls in a matter of months, based on the raft of promises that were contained in the budget presentations of both prime minister and JLP Leader Dr Andrew Holness, and Opposition leader and PNP President Mark Golding.

Many of those promises have since been repeated on the campaign trail and have found their way into the respective manifestos of both parties — the JLP’s iChoose Jamaica, the Next Chapter’ and the PNP’s Mission: Jamaica Love. Both parties have launched supplementary documents since their respective manifestos were published.

Some of the promises appeared to have been made on the fly; like the commitment given on August 10 by Holness that students, including those attending university in the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region, would be allowed to travel free for two months from September to October, on buses owned by the Jamaica Urban Transit Company. He gave the commitment on the night he announced the date of the election at the JLP’s mass rally in Half-Way-Tree, St Andrew.

Public transport operators have expressed dissatisfaction with that announcement, arguing that it will rob them of revenue for two months.

The last significant promise of the campaign was made by Holness on Sunday night at the JLP’s mass rally in Spanish Town where he announced that the JLP, if it is returned to office, will double the national minimum wage over five years. It would initially move from the current $16,000 weekly to $18,500 after the 2026/27 fiscal year.

That promise has been met with warnings from powerful private sector groups — including the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association and the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce — that it could result in job losses and rising prices which could destabilise the economy. The JLP has defended the proposal while the PNP has dismissed it as a desperate, last-minute tactic aimed at winning an election.

Both parties have been strategic in targeting certain interest groups including families, young people, transport operators and specific groups of workers, with housing and tax breaks at the centre of their promises.

In terms of tax breaks, the JLP has committed to reducing the income tax rate from the current 25 per cent to 15 per cent on a phased basis. The PNP countered by offering to raise the income tax threshold to $3.5 million. That promise has triggered calls for the party to state how the measure would be funded.

The JLP has offered a tax break for elderly Jamaicans 65 and over, while the PNP has promised to establish a $5-billion investment plan for seniors. The money will be invested over five years to support 100,000 seniors across Jamaica with what the PNP calls “a national framework of care, inclusion, and protection”.

The PNP has also promised to remove the tax on overtime work for employees earning $6 million and less while also removing the tax on gratuities for workers in the hospitality sector.

The battle for votes extends to the housing sector, with both sides indicating that the country has a shortfall of 190,000 houses. With the constant complaint that affordable houses are scarce, the PNP has committed to build 50,000 affordable houses in its first term if elected to office today.

The PNP has also touted its rent-to-own programme which targets people in the informal sector who, while unable to present a salary slip, will be allowed to demonstrate that they can pay the rent for six months for a National Housing Trust (NHT) house. That money will serve as a downpayment towards the mortgage.

The Opposition party is also offering a $500,000 grant towards the downpayment on NHT houses for young people 45 years old and under, and has committed to absorbing the cost of the land to ensure that housing units get to market between $2.5 million and $3 million lower than they currently do.

For its part, the JLP has committed to build 60,000 houses if it is returned to office. Some 10,000 of those are slated for the Greater Innswood Development Area in St Catherine. Additionally, the JLP is offering young homeowners — having outgrown their first house as their family expands — the opportunity to sell that house back to the NHT so another young family can benefit.

While issues to do with costing have resulted in much back and forth between the two parties regarding their tax break proposals, the most contentious issue has been the approach to a rural school bus programme. The Government has already rolled out an abbreviated form of that programme for rural Jamaica and has bought 110 used school buses from the United States as part of the initiative. Transport Minister Daryl Vaz has repeatedly slammed the PNP as being “bad mind” for statements about the initiative.

The PNP, while stating that it supports a school bus programme, has offered a different approach that would see taxi and small bus operators benefiting. The PNP has also offered a $10,000-per-month transport subsidy for the 20,000 most needy students. Both sides have committed to offering free meals for needy students.

And both are offering a combination of moratorium, debt forgiveness, and lower interest rates on student loans as they compete for the youth vote. The JLP has said students whose accounts with the Students’ Loan Bureau are in good standing will receive a one-off grant of $100,000. The PNP has promised a free scholarship for the first in a family to attend university.

The PNP has also courted faith-based voters, promising to establish a $1-billion Community Transformation Fund. It says it “recognises the deep-rooted influence of churches and other faith-based organisations in Jamaican communities, and their proven ability to drive social upliftment”.

The manifestos of both parties, with dozens of promises, are posted on their websites and available for a final read for voters heading out to cast their ballots today.

People’s National Party President Mark Golding addressing a PNP mass rally in Mandeville, Manchester.