Norris R. McDonald | ‘Babylon’s Big Ugly Bill,’ money woes, and the Beckford-Witter Plan

“I see the mark of the beast on their ugly faces

I see them congregating in evil places

I said mi know them a wicked...”

—Peter Tosh, Mark of the Beast

AS THE Jamaican diaspora faces rising financial scrutiny, proposed remittance taxes, and hostile immigration policies, the Jamaican Government remains disturbingly silent.

This isn’t just economic neglect — it is betrayal dressed up as ‘macroeconomic discipline’. With a general election looming, this is no longer about policy. It is about sovereignty, survival, and dignity.

If this remittance tax is implemented, Jamaica could lose over US$200 million annually. That’s not fiscal policy — it’s economic warfare.

The proposed 3.5 per cent to five per cent excise tax on remittances from non-citizens could strip up to US$170 million directly from the hands of the Jamaican poor and working class. The impact would be brutal, especially for families who rely on every dollar sent by relatives abroad to meet the cost of living.

TRUMP CRIMINALISES IMMIGRANTS

Many Jamaican households depend on remittances to pay school fees, cover medical bills, and put food on the table. Yet US policy under the so-called ‘Big Ugly Bill’ seeks to criminalise and control these private transfers.

The narrative of crime prevention is a distraction. It is about branding immigrants as inherently suspicious and then bleeding them through targeted financial repression.

Trump-era immigration enforcement ramped up funding for immigrant policing from US$4 billion to a staggering US$40 billion.

In its wake, new detention centres — prison-like facilities nicknamed ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ — were constructed to house undocumented migrants, including many Jamaicans, without access to due process.

JAMAICA’S MONEY WOES, REMITTANCE DEPENDENCY

Diaspora remittances remain the single largest source of foreign exchange for Jamaica, totalling over US$3.4 billion annually and accounting for nearly 20 per cent of GDP.

This new American government tax, under the Big Ugly Bill will target caregivers, domestic workers, farm labourers, janitors, and hustlers. In general, it penalises the immigrant underclass — those whose work may appear unimportant but provides important support to America’s prosperity. It is from this unthankful work that they help to provide family income support to relatives in Jamaica.

And yet, the Government, in this moment of crisis, has not been vocal in advocacy for Jamaicans. The official policy line is that “they respect the right of any government to determine its internal and sovereign policy”. But, where in this does inhumane detention by US Immigration and Naturalization Services at Alligator Alcatraz, without any due legal process, fits into any sovereign legal norms?

With over 5,120 Jamaicans currently facing deportation in the US and an estimated 93,000 undocumented Jamaicans living under threat, the effects of such policies are devastating. Each crackdown on immigrant rights becomes a chokehold on the Jamaican economy.

So, the Government is glad to get overseas remittances – whether from legal residents, or undocumented Jamaicans – to help prop up the Jamaican dollar, but does not feel it has any moral obligations to check on their welfare.

What do you think? Is that right?

IMF ECONOMICS AND THE ROAD TO NOWHERE

Meanwhile, with the US dollar recently hitting a 50-year low, there are further negative policy implications for remittance flows. Also, economics are warning that the US economy is on the threshold of a recession.

This ensuing financial storm will further affect overseas Jamaicans ability to send more home, as they will be facing economic and financial pressures. And even when they did manage to send money, if the value diminishes it will mean less money reaching families, and circulating in the local economy.

Money woes, on top of money woes!

The policy implications are broad and painful. With reduced remittance inflows and fewer tourism dollars, Jamaica may struggle to meet IMF reserve targets. This could force the Government back to the IMF table for additional support — right before a general election.

Jamaica’s economic dependence on remittances and tourism is a direct result of decades of policy failure. This fragility is now exposed. And the question before the country is: What next?

A BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE: THE BECKFORD-WITTER PLAN

My friends, this moment demands a return to serious industrial policy.

Economists George Beckford and Michael Witter offered us that path decades ago: a grassroots economic model based on small-scale agriculture, food sovereignty, rural empowerment, and regional cooperation.

Private-sector investments in these sectors can be stimulated through strategic tax incentives and joint public-private ventures. More agro-processing hubs and energy-efficient manufacturing clusters are needed to reduce import dependence and generate value-added exports.

AGRICULTURE, INDUSTRY, SOVEREIGNTY

The reindustrialisation of Jamaica must also include the redesign of remittance infrastructure. Instead of penalising migrants, Jamaica should launch diaspora bonds, improve financial inclusion for overseas nationals, and protect remittance channels from foreign interference.

Agriculture must be transformed. Farming co-operatives, food hubs, and climate-smart agriculture can reignite rural economies while building food security. We must end our addiction to food imports, which cost the country billions annually, and prioritise local production.

The Beckford-Witter model is not simply about economics — it is about justice. It demands investment in education, public health, job training, and rural infrastructure. It rejects the idea that a nation can thrive while its people migrate, suffer, and subsidise from afar.

WHO WILL DEFEND THE DIASPORA?

My dear friends, in facing this crisis, Jamaica must also rethink its global partnerships. The current Western-oriented, IMF-dependent economy has outlived its usefulness.

Jamaica must expand ties with BRICS, deepen South-South cooperation, and work with CARICOM to develop a coordinated strategy for economic self-determination.

As we approach the next general election, let’s be clear: Jamaica’s biggest export is not bauxite. It’s not sugar. It’s not even ganja. It’s people. And those people — our family abroad — are under siege. They are being detained, taxed, spied on, and humiliated.

The time for silence is over.

The real question facing the Jamaican Government is this: Will you defend the diaspora? Will you protect remittances? Will you invest in a real, sovereign economy — to stop the need to beg Babylon to ease up!

That is the bitta truth.

Norris R. McDonald is an author, economic journalist, political analyst, and respiratory therapist. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com or miaminorris@yahoo.com.