2010-05-12
Business Registration Being Streamlined
In an effort to streamline the business registration process, Government is developing a ‘Super-Form’ which will capture information required by all agencies involved in the business approval process, once a business is registered with the Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ).
Government is also moving to have business registrations done online by the end of this fiscal year. This was announced by Minister of Industry, Investment & Commerce, Karl Samuda as he made his presentation in the Sectoral Debate at Gordon House today (May 11th, )
The Super Form will be administered by the Companies Office, which will be the single interface between the public and the agencies – HEART/NTA; NIS; NHT and the Tax Office. It is expected to considerably cut through much of the physical and bureaucratic hurdle that the business registration process now entails.
The Minister pointed out that under the present system, after registering a company, the business-person then has to office-hop between the various agencies and then visit the Tax Office to apply for a Taxpayer Compliance Certificate. “This is too onerous for businesses in 21st century Jamaica”, the Minister declared.
Already, the COJ offers a priority service that allows business-people to register their companies in one day, as against the four-day normal service.