000202 Jamaica Puts Up Tariff Barrier on Imported BeefFebruary 6, 2000Kingston, Jamaica - The Jamaican Parliament has passed an 86% stamp duty on beef imports to help protect the local beef industry. Lawmakers approved late Tuesday an order from the Ministry of Finance making permanent a provisional order from Oct 6, 1999, to reimpose additional stamp duties on mince, fresh briskets and boneless beef trimmings. Errol Ennis, Minister of State in the Finance Ministry, told the House of Representatives that the stamp duty was originally removed from 35 categories of agricultural products seven years ago, leaving a smaller protective regime of customs duties ranging from 5% to 40%. Ennis said the new measure was a necessary step to protect the local beef industry, which was going through trying times in the face of strong competition from cheaper imports “that benefit from considerable subsidies in the highly industrialized countries in which they originate.”
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