Government mulls import duty waiver on CCTV cameras

NATIONAL SECURITY Minister Robert Montague says that his ministry is currently undertaking negotiations with the Ministry of Finance to have the General Consumption Tax, import duties, and the Special Consumption Tax waived for a limited time to allow more people to purchase CCTV cameras.

For them to take advantage of the benefits from the waiver, they must be willing to place their cameras in the service of the National Surveillance System (JamaicaEye).

Speaking at the launch of the National CCTV System in Kingston on Wednesday, Montague said that it was vital that all Jamaica plays its part in contributing to the system for it to be fully effective.

“We are urging every member of the public anywhere in Jamaica – so long as you have a camera – to give permission and give us your CCTV feed. If you want to buy a CCTV system, so long as it is a digital camera, we can accept the feed,” Montague noted.

“So you don’t have to go out and buy an expensive camera. We accept the feed of all digitised cameras. It is not the size of the contribution that matters here, but rather, the decision to assist in a national initiative to fight crime,” the national security minister added.

However, the Ministr y of National Security Director of Communications and Public Affairs Gillian Haughton told The Gleaner yesterday that negotiations were under way to possibly grant the tax waiver to persons who purchase CCTV cameras locally if they sign up with JamaicaEye.

“It is something that is being negotiated. These and other matters are being looked at as we try to streamline all the processes that will aid the smooth operations and buy-in from the public,” Haughton said.