News

Pearnel Charles Jr (file photo)
Steps being taken to transform work permit regime
June 30, 2025

As calls linger for the importation of overseas skilled workers to quench the island’s labour shortage, the Labour and Social Security Ministry is rectifying issues that have been detected with the local work permit process for immigrants.

Portfolio Minister, Pearnel Charles Jr, made the disclosure while responding to questions during a Caribbean Policy and Research Institute (CaPRI) forum on its latest report titled ‘Brain Gain: Solving the Labour Shortage and Competing for Global Talent’, last week.

During the event at AC…

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File In this 2012 Gleaner photo, fishing boats bob on the water, with banks and businesses seen far in the background along the Kingston waterfront.
OneCity report sparks debate on housing affordability, access
June 4, 2025

Formalising communities can spur development and reduce crime, but it may also lead to displacement as housing prices rise, experts warned at the launch of the inaugural study under the OneCity initiative led by think tank Caribbean Policy Research Institute last Thursday.

In a wide-ranging panel discussion, experts debated the implications of urban renewal, with concerns about gentrification. The OneCity initiative was launched earlier this year, but on Thursday, CaPRI launched the first study titled Who Gets What? Mapping…

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KING... described the budget as credible and sustainable, but...
No gimmicks, but big gaps
June 4, 2025

Jamaica’s tax system is built on a troubling illusion — only a fraction of workers are actually contributing, and yet revenue expectations remain unrealistically high. That was the blunt assessment by economist Dr Damien King at the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) annual budget breakdown event last Thursday.

King laid bare the structural flaws in the country’s tax base, revealing that fewer than 15 per cent of employed Jamaicans effectively carry the weight of income tax. And yet, despite growing burdens…

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Lisa Hanna is Member of Parliament for St Ann South Eastern, People’s National Party spokesperson on foreign affairs and foreign trade, and a former Cabinet member.
Behind every Jamaican gangster is a woman
February 23, 2025

Violence in Jamaica is a deeply rooted issue, shaped by a complex web of socio-economic, cultural, and historical factors. While conversations surrounding crime often centre on male perpetrators and victims, it is critical to shed light on the significant yet multifaceted roles women occupy within this cycle of violence, acting as victims, enablers, or even active participants.

Jamaican women face disproportionately high rates of gender-based violence, encompassing domestic abuse, sexual assault, and femicide. Alarming…

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Minister of Finance and Public Service Dr Nigel Clarke, Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) Executive Director Dr Damien King, and CAPRI Director of Strategy Yentyl Williams engage in conversation
CAPRI Proposes $2.2 Million Income Tax Threshold
August 28, 2023

The Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) is proposing that the Government increase the personal income tax threshold by 47 per cent in the next budget cycle to help compensate for losses due to inflation since the last increase. The proposal, if accepted, will see the personal income tax threshold rising from $1.5 million per annum to $2.2 million.

The recommendation formed part of executive director of CAPRI Dr Damien King's presentation of the report "Budget Breakdown 2023: An Analysis of the Government's Proposed Revenue…

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Riverton City dump
Michael Abrahams | No empathy, no justice
August 28, 2023

“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.”

That quote has been one of my favourites for years. It had been attributed to Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States. However, fact-checking has made me realise there is no credible evidence that he said it. Regardless, the quote resonates with me. The bottom line is that without empathy, there will be no justice.

As Martin Luther King Jr said, and this has been fact-checked, “Injustice anywhere is a…

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