Minister of Information Dana Morris Dixon has outlined that more than 1,000 households in Portland have been identified to benefit from the government’s House Wiring and Inspection Programme.

Dixon said the programme is aimed at helping residents transition to regularised electricity through the Jamaica Public Service (JPS).

“This has been funded by a one million allocation, which is in our 2025/26 budget, and this initiative targets 20,000 new JPS customers by covering the cost of house wiring and inspection,” she said.

Dixon also stated that the government is implementing the house wiring project through the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF).

On April 24, to enrol persons in the programme, JSIF hosted a series of Electrification Fairs beginning in Port Antonio, where residents were engaged and signed up, and once enrolled, households will receive basic installation.

“They’ll get two lights and two plugs and be connected legally to JPS pending regulatory approval. We’re going to have another fair. So those of you who are in Clarendon, there is going to be one on May 9 for any Jamaicans who want to regularise themselves,” Dixon added.

Drainage System and Changes to General Consumption Tax

Additionally, Dixon said the government is embarking on drainage studies in Spanish Town to address the flooding concerns from residents. “We’ll be doing that extensive study in Spanish Town and Old Harbour to address severe flooding, particularly on St Johns Road, and our minister with responsibility for works, the Honourable Robert Nester Morgan, announced that a multilateral organisation has been engaged to assess the area and develop a targeted drainage solution, and this is a big, big deal for us.”

The minister also announced that the changes to the General Consumption Tax (GCT) on energy charges, which were recently announced by the government of Jamaica, are now in effect. “They came into effect on May 1. So after this cycle of your electricity bill, you will see a difference on it. So a reduced GCT rate of 7 per cent will now be applied to the energy charges of both postpaid and prepaid residential customers of JPS. This new rate replaces the 15 per cent GCT that was previously applied to usage over 150 kilowatt hours. The new 7 per cent GCT rate applies to residential customers’ energy usage.

“We’re also pleased to note that there are other developments there in terms of the GCT rate for commercial customers and also the government subsidy and rebate. So the government also announced a special rebate and subsidy for low energy users. So postpaid residential customers who use 250 kilowatt hours or less per month will receive a 3 per cent government tax subsidy and a 7 per cent government tax rebate. These benefits will be applied automatically to customers who qualify and will appear as a separate line item on their JPS bill,” she added.