The Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) and Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) on Thursday rewarded businesses in Half-Way-Tree and its environs that have remained up to date with their property taxes and trade-licence payments, presenting them with certificates of appreciation for meeting their obligations.

In addition to recognising the businesses, the authorities encouraged them to maintain their payment record.

Kingston Mayor Andrew Swaby said the recognition was deliberate, arguing that tax compliance campaigns often focus heavily on those who owe while overlooking businesses that consistently pay what they are required to pay.

“The KSAMC, along with TAJ, thought it would have been wise to highlight these persons because these are persons who have paid their property tax, who have been compliant, and they are contributing to the services that have been given to them — fixing of the roads, cleaning of drains, and a wide range of government services that have been provided,” he said.

Kingston Mayor Andrew Swaby (centre) presents a certificate of appreciation to compliant business owner Grace England, managing director of Cherries Hair & More, while Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation Chief Executive Officer Robert Hill looks on during Thursday’s tax compliance exercise in Half-Way-Tree.

The recognition formed part of a wider three-day compliance operation in the Half-Way-Tree area that began on Thursday, with teams moving through the commercial area to engage businesses about property taxes, trade licences, as well as sign and billboard requirements.

The agencies have divided the area into three zones, with field teams visiting businesses directly to provide information, offer guidance, and address outstanding obligations.

A temporary service point has also been operating at Constant Spring Arcade, giving property owners and business operators access to assistance with online payment registration and account queries.

But alongside the recognition of compliant businesses, TAJ and KSAMC conducted an enforcement exercise in the business area, issuing notices to a number of delinquent business owners.

Swaby said teams were working across the three zones, with team leaders overseeing the distribution of notices and engagement with businesses.

Lee’s Fifith Avenue Tropical Plaza General Manager Avione Chung (second left) is presented with a certificate by Kingston Mayor Andrew Swaby (second right) during Thursday’s tax compliance exercise in Half-Way-Tree. Also photographed are Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation Chief Executive Officer Robert Hill and Cordia Cephas, taxpayer education officer at Tax Administration Jamaica.

“They have been distributing notices along the area. We have three zones that are led by a team leader and they are out in the field currently issuing the notices to persons and telling them. Some persons have come to our outstation right in the car park at Constant Spring Arcade, right beside PICA [Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency], and they are getting registered in terms of how to pay their property tax online,” he said.

The Half-Way-Tree operation follows the agencies’ disclosure that 432 properties in the area have property tax arrears totalling $162 million, with some outstanding payments dating back six years.

Of those properties, 151 are associated with businesses and account for $96 million of the property tax arrears. Authorities also identified 195 businesses with estimated trade licence arrears of $48 million.

The wider operation is scheduled to run for 11 months, ending in March 2027, and covers property taxes, trade and business licences, and signs and billboards.