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| About Legs & Regs |
In 2003, the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC) in association with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Government of Jamaica embarked on an initiative to improve the efficiency of specific areas of the public sector, that had a direct impact on doing business in Jamaica. This venture led to the start of the Legislation, Regulation and Process Improvement Project (Legs & Regs).
The project involves the surveying of regulations, legislation and processes which impede the efficient administration of business processes. It seeks to ensure a solution to the problem being posed by the drafting of new legislation to replace obsolete laws that remain on the books; the amendment or revamping of regulations now in force; the re-design of certain processes that have evolved without careful assessment of their impact – or a combination of all the above.
MISSION: The Legs & Regs project seeks to identify and select for consideration, issues in the business environment which impede or frustrate business processes and which can be modified, improved or eliminated in order to create an environment in which businesses flourish and the Jamaican economy grows.
STRUCTURE: The Project is governed by two private-public sector committees, one coordinated by the JCC and the other by the Cabinet Office, in the Office of the Prime Minister.
The success of the Project has been fostered by the synergy created by harnessing the direction provided by the private sector. The technical work of collaborative approach adopted has been successful in resolving many issues which as a member, any individual will be able to bring forward.
CURRENT PROJECTS AND MILESTONES: The Project has made significant strides since its inception in 2003. Some of the initiatives tackled have been brought to the forefront of the reform agenda by the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, while others were already the subject of internal public sector reform efforts.
Among the successfully completed projects are:
- The introduction of a Tax Compliance Certificate application through a single agency.
- Removal of the need for financial institutions to send documents to the stamp office for assessment and stamping.
- Abolition of the Business Visa requirement for persons entering Jamaica to conduct business.
Currently, the Project is focussing on simplifying and streamlining the following initiatives:
- The Permit Issuance and Inspection Process for Import/Export
- A revised Developers’ Manual
- Tracking and lobbying for the introduction and enactment of critical legislations such as the Electronic Transaction Act, the Credit Reporting Act, a new Patent Act and a Dishonoured Cheques Act among others.
Solicitation of new issues!
We invite the business community to submit issues pertinent to the operation and growth of their business for consideration by the Project. |
