Registrar General’s Department says fee hikes are justified

Jovan Johnson, Gleaner Writer



KINGSTON, Jamaica:

The Registrar General’s Department (RGD) is maintaining that the new fees for some services are justified given economic and financial constraints.



As of today, the rates for birth, adoption, marriage and death certificates have been increased from $650 to $1,500.



Additional copies for birth, adoption, marriage and death certificates have jumped from $100 to $500.



However, the RGD will continue its initiative to provide the first birth certificate for each newborn free of cost.



The RGD says it actually costs $2,064 to produce one copy of a birth certificate.



Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Kate Bertram, says fees were last increased 11 years ago and account for about 80 per cent of the revenue intake.



She says over the 11-year period, the Jamaican dollar has devalued and input costs have increased.



Bertram says the increases should be able to sustain the RGD for at least another six years.



The RGD is a type C public agency which means that it gets no financial support from the government and must develop revenue streams to fund its operations.



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