Jamaica to spend $791 billion this year, according to budget estimate

The Jamaican government plans to spend $791 billion this fiscal year, compared to the $773 billion that was projected when the Budget was passed in March.

This is according to the First Supplementary Estimates, which was tabled in the House of Representatives Tuesday by the Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke. It projects an $18-billion increase in the 2018-2019 Budget.

The Estimates show an increase in the Recurrent (housekeeping) expenses with just over $11.2 billion.

The estimates will be reviewed by the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee, as well as the Standing Finance Committee of Parliament before they go to the House for approval.

Andrew Holness administration would allocate another $445 million to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) to fund, among other things, the various security measures imposed by the government to stem the country's murder rate and restore public order in town centres across the island.

The increased allocation to the JCF includes $235 million to support the Government's two main anti-crime measures, the states of public emergency (SOPEs) and zones of special operations (ZOSO), and $80 million for the new police formation, the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch.

The JCF has also been allocated $130 million to improve 60 priority police locations islandwide.

Holness government plans to allocate around $7 billion to the local authorities to pay current and outstanding charges for street lighting; $1.7 billion to the National Housing Trust to settle outstanding arrears in employer contribution owed by public-sector entities; and more than $500 million to help clean up the voters' list by removing the names of deceased persons.

The administration has proposed cutting just over $1.4 billion from the $3.6 billion that had been set aside to fund the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project, an ambitious undertaking through which approximately 110 kilometres of roadway between Harbour View in east Kingston and Port Antonio in the Portland is to be rehabilitated.