Jodi-Ann Gilpin, Gleaner Writer

A week after revealing that 60 per cent of Corporate Area businesses are not properly registered, the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) has decided it will close down all operations that are non-compliant with the payment of trade licence fees.

Speaking with The Gleaner after a finance meeting at the KSAC's downtown Kingston offices, Kingston Mayor Angela Brown Burke said the corporation has exhausted all measures and it was now time to take action.

"This is the final decision. We have made several attempts to have them pay their trade licences so those who don't have it, we are going to move to close them down," said Brown Burke.

"I'm going to leave it to the operations persons to decide how it's going to be rolled out, but our approach is to talk to persons so that they know that this is the final decision and so when we come, we won't be asking any questions. If we don't see your licences, that's it," she asserted.

Other agencies

Brown Burke also pointed out that the KSAC has been involved in several discussions with other agencies that will be coming on board to join in the process.

"We realised the gravity of the situation and so we got in contact with the TAJ (Tax Administration Jamaica). We had discussion with our legal team as well and it is against that background that we will be using the multi-agency team, the TAJ, the police and ourselves and moving to that stage," she declared.

Brown Burke added: "As we have promised, we will be visiting three times and we did visit three times and so it was decided in the meeting that this is the route we are going to take which is to close those entities that are not compliant."

jodi-ann.gilpin@gleanerjm.com