The Editor, Sir:

The Government has approved tax-relief initiative for business operators to rebuild downtown Kingston, according to The Gleaner of Friday, September 11.

This, I thought, should be tax relief for business operators to rebuild rural, urban and inner-city areas in Jamaica. Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) studies show that Kingston and St Andrew are the wealthiest parts of Jamaica, so what about the poorest parishes of St Ann, St Mary, Portland, St James, Hanover, Westmoreland, St Thomas and others?

The PIOJ reveals the consumption poverty line for a family of five at $302,697 and the adult poverty line at $80,089. According to the Government, tax relief and other incentives would be facilitated by changes to the Urban Renewal Tax Relief Act (1995).

New act needed

Sir, this should not only be for Kingston, St Andrew and its environs. There is need for a new act, the Rural Urban Renewal Tax Relief and Incentives Act (2009). This act would be designed to encourage and facilitate development in all areas plagued by dilapidation, blight, socio-economic and environmental decay.

The tendency is for Kingston-based policymakers and intellectuals to think and operate like a colonial power over the other parish colonies. Leaders in those colonies/parishes sometimes, inadvertently or not, get caught up in that same kind of mindset. Most of the taxes collected in these poor parish colonies get spent elsewhere in Kingston and St Andrew.

Minister Shaw said he recognised that crime was a major deterrent to people setting up business in downtown Kingston but stressed that attacking urban blight was one way of reducing the scourge. He may well be right but if a nationally balanced approach is not taken with an interest in stemming rural blight and decay, the Kingston problem may well become a rural one as it already is in many places.

All members of parliament, citizens, civic leaders, councillors, in the poorest parish of St Ann and others, should begin to lobby aggressively for the same facilities contemplated for Kingston so that they too have more tools to lure investment. This is even more urgent for parishes in which bauxite/tourism was king but has seen significant fallouts in employment and investment.

I am, etc.,

Michael Spence

Micspen2@hotmail.com

Liguanea, Kingston 6