Schools free of GCT on light

A special waiver has been put in place for schools to be made exempt from the general consumption tax (GCT) paid on electricity bills.

In a release yesterday, the Ministry of Education indicated that the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service had com-municated to the ministry that a special waiver had been put in place for schools to be relieved of the 10 per cent GCT now payable on the supply of electricity.

The education ministry said schools were required to submit a letter to the commissioner of the Inland Revenue Department (IRD), requesting zero-rated status in order for them to benefit from the waiver.

The letter must be accompanied by a recent copy of a Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) utility bill, which would serve as proof of contract with the electricity company.

The ministry said the IRD would then stamp the document for presentation to the JPS for the waiver to be applied to the school's account.

The education ministry is urging schools to make every effort to ensure letters were prepared and dispatched to the IRD as soon as possible, so as to secure waivers in the shortest possible time.