Waiver coming for Skeet Club

Ryon Jones, Gleaner Writer

The Jamaica Skeet Club's bid to compete in their first- ever Pan American Games is set to get a significant boost.

An application was been made to the Ministry of Finance for a tax waiver to import well-needed equipment which is required to aid in the team's preparations. This equipment has been in storage in Miami for weeks and the word from the ministry is that the waiver could be granted before the end of the month.

Jamaica is aiming to compete in Olympic Trap, also known as International Trap, at the Pan American Games to be staged in Mexico from October 14-30.

There are five shooters - Brett Thwaites, Robert Yap, Craig Simpson, Shaun Barnes and Bobby Chung - who have signed up to go to the Games, but the rules only allow for three representatives from each country. This will force the club to have their own internal qualification system, for which they will need to build their own practice range.

"We will have to formulate a special trial, as we have around five shooters who have volunteered," Thwaites, president of the Jamaica Skeet Club, shared. "We bought equipment specifically for the type of practice that we need and that equipment is sitting in Miami."

Waiting on government

He added, "We are waiting on the Government to give us a general consumption tax and duty wavier so we can import it, otherwise we might not be able to afford to do so."

When contacted by The Gleaner on Wednesday, Maurice Williams, director of tax relief in the Ministry of Finance, said the issue is being dealt with.

"We are sorting out the skeet club and others. Basically, by the end of the week it should be with the minister, and it doesn't take long once it reaches him," Williams said. "We had a number of challenges in the division, so that affected our processing time for the application, but it will be signed off soon," he added.

One of the main reasons why what used to be a seven-day process has taken two months to be sorted out is the restrictions that have been placed on the Government by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

"The IMF has imposed a quota on discretionary waivers that the minister can grant; the quota is J$140 million," Williams informed.

After the application leaves the taxation department and reaches the minister's desk, it will then go to the Revenue Protection Division for them to prepare the notice that goes to Customs, authorising them that approval has been granted.