Doing Business in Jamaica

It is interesting that the Government insists the way froward for this country is through the creation and development of small businesses. However, I have experienced the frustrations of setting up and trying to get my business up and running. The first hurdle to clear after registering your business is to become compliant to prevent the "Tax Man" from taking all your possessions and your freedom later. At this stage you encounter the true nature of operating a small business in Jamaica. With the plethora of technologies available to the state and the overabundance of expertise, you would expect that all the Government agencies would be some how linked to each other making information available to all the different bodies concerned. But even in this so called "information age", we are lagging behind. So all the bodies have to be visited in turn, to submit the same information.

The second problem arises when you now start the process of becoming compliant. You have to visit all the different agencies to get the necessary tax clearances (you still have to do this even when you are an existing business). The tax offices are rarely free flowing, and many of the attendants and clerks are not properly trained and many times give totally different information when explaining how to achieve the same outcome. The process is so tedious and time consuming that many persons resign themselves to paying the late penalty fees just to avoid the crowded halls and hours waiting on your feet in line.

Thirdly, and probably the most discouraging is that, you have to go through the entire process all over again, Every month. This, to me, is not a climate that is conducive to helping a country move forward on a small business platform.

However, I am still motivated to go all the way to establish my business and becoming a success at what I do, even if it means I have to endure the frustrations, discomfort and distractions created by an ancient and backward system and a Government that regardless of who may form the administration still maintains the status quo and  continue to function with nepotism towards party rather than country.

In the meantime, you may visit my website at www.orbit3systems.com