$3,000 licensing fee set for ‘Downtown’ handcart operators
Wednesday, October 09, 2013
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HANDCART operators conveying goods in the market district of downtown Kingston must begin registering with the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) before Christmas and pay an annual fee of $3,000, Kingston Mayor Angella Brown Burke said yesterday.
The mayor, who disclosed that one operator had already registered, said that the KSAC wanted implementation of the registration system to start before the Christmas season began to avoid chaos.
She told the council that after many consultations, the KSAC management had recommended that handcart operators, who transport goods for shoppers and from market trucks to vendors’ stalls, pay the same registration fees as vendors operating inside the markets.
“There are no additional monthly/weekly fees to be paid,” she said.
However, she warned that handcarts operating as markets on wheels are illegal and would not be licensed. This had been communicated to the police, she said.
The mayor told the September council meeting that handcart vendors who operated as mobile units outside designated vending areas and in competition with registered vendors presented the greatest challenge.
Yesterday she said that the handcart operators who register would receive a registration document and identification cards with their pictures.
It has been estimated that there are between 500 to 800 handcart operators, but all the handcarts are not necessarily used everyday.
“Some of the operators rent the handcarts short term or long term as required,” Brown Burke said.
She said that the practice of licensing handcarts in Jamaica was not new.
“Other parishes have been licensing them,” she said, noting that the St Catherine and Clarendon parish councils had already started licensing handcarts.
A no portia met a kingston mayor
mi neva know say mayors have dem deh power deh..i thought that piece of legislation wudda haffi enter parliament first…it is a shame
Mayors have a bit of judicial power and this really wasn’t created overnight. It is like so many laws in Jamaica it de deh…just wasn’t implemented because a pandering for votes according to party line. Burke sey to hell wid dat. Me support it.
DAAAYUUUUUUUUUM!!! Steep.
Ah did dem bumboclaat vote fa ! Mi nuh sorry fi dem
Look like every body go round portia and do them own ting.
Amazingly stupid !! Dis is just anadda bloodclaat bullet inna de poor people dem heart. Dat Angela Brown- Burke is nutten more dan a cunt. She like to fcuk around and apply a lot of pressure to higglers and de likkle hustlers dem who a struggle fe survive. Now she gone tek set pon de handcart man dem. Kiss mi rass !!
why do politicians always pick on the weakest link???
There is no middle class in JA n any time a poor person venture into anything that will allow him/her to feed their family n selves daily the powers that b make sure to trample n destroy that THIS CALLS FOR REVOLUTION IF IT MEANS BLOOD BEING SHED SO BE IT RID UNNU SELF OF THE PARASITES (THEIFING LICKY LICKY POLITICIANS)
chuet, brakes pon de Revolution call…dwrcln. Ask de haggler dem how much time dem boy yah disappear wid people goods or just how much dem involve inna de thief syndicate dem. Register them so dem nu easy fi blend in anymore.
Instead dem go fix di bloodclaat road dem and di drainage system dung deh dem a charge $3000 fi push handcart kmt. Mark mi words, Jamaica a go be di fus country dem charge tax pon oxygen, kmt. F**king parasites.
Said fees will and should be added to fixing de roads, drains and clean up de mess left by higglers/hustlers a evening time.
I agree with the “should be” but precedent does not inspire confidence in the “will be”….my issue is not with the fee per se, but rather what will happen to these funds. I remember as a child hearing of the Rural Electrification Program; as an adult a few years ago, I heard on the radio that the government received funds towards the same program, yet there are still places in the country without electricity…where has this money been funneled to? If people saw the results of these fees and taxes, I’m sure there would be less outcry when they are introduced.
Portia ago heng dem ….! dem rather pnp inna powa Dan jlp but it shouldn’t matter if the party a help the island ??? From she tek over check the numbers everything home up smfh
If Jamaican politician did haffi run whey like the Haitian one dem a wonder if they would still try this..
What GOOD did the running away of Haitian politicians do for Haiti? NOT ONE RASS. You should have asked about them being arrested like American politicians instead of trying to place us into a Haiti dilemma…one me NEVA want fi see inna me life time.
Jamaican have a fully functioning just legal system?
We have one it functions selectively. What’s your point? Our judicial system functions in accordance with the Home court- England.
Me nah go dis up we entire court system because we problem are judges who are aligned with family and politics and the citizens who don’t go jury duty and participate as witnesses.
I don’t see anything wrong with registering for J$250.00 per month. Those of us with regular jobs have to pay our fair share of taxes. We are even forced to pay voluntary contributions such as NHT. My main concern is having leaders who will use our tax dollars in a corrupt and irresponsible way.
Not a thing wrong because dem eat or drink that in one go. These same ‘poor things’ have always been a part of the crime trends downtown. All dem have fi do is do a pardna a week or month time and have dem money ready in TWELVE (12) months time.
di money not going nowhere…all dem doing is collecting and no betterment
A de so KSAC have fi show accountability. We know dem a collect it so we need fi know when and where it go. Once it is fully implemented. As a driver it good cause there is a registered number to give to Insurance when handcart man bounce yu car an tell yu fi go ‘s’ yu mumma.
Neither do I. These people don’t pay taxes other than if they go to the shop they will pay GCT. They are the ones who benefit from “free” health care and there children benefit from “free” education and the PATH programme.They can’t keep living off the people who actually contribute to this country forever. Some people pay $11,000.00 in taxes per-month, and they don’t benefit from it. $3000.00 is more than enough to pay to use the streets. The behave as if they belong to them anyway; people can’t walk in peace because of them. They also contribute to the crime in Downtown. This is just a way of keep track and regularizing them.
TOTALLY Agree with EVERYTHING you said. People will be surprised how much the Handcart men make more day, since the market vendors have to pay them to move their goods back and forth. They pay no income taxes to the government, yet their children are getting free education and free health care.
I had a run in with a Handcart guy some years ago while visiting Jamaica. I was driving in the upper St. Andrew area and the Handcart man had his cart way out in the roadway. Just I was about to pass him, another car was coming in the opposite direction, so I had to cut back in so as to avoid hitting the other car. Well, one of the rear wheel ran over his Hancart rear wheel and the tire was busted. I pull off to the side of the road to look at the damage only to hear a voice behind me, telling me that I had damage the brakes on his Handcart. I went to look at his cart and couldn’t figure out what this brake thing is. He claim he had a piece of tire material that was above the rear wheel and I damage it and he should be compensated for the damage. Before I knew it, a whole group as gathered around him and agreeing with him that I damage his brakes.
Just to avoid an incident, I gave him $500 and his face lit up as he had made a major score. He left in a hurry, without even offering any help replace the damaged wheel. That experience left a very bitter taste in my mouth up to this day. We keep feeling sorry for “poor people”, but they don’t care about you. F*ck them, let them pay the $3,000 fee. Next, they should require that they insure that sh*t and have the proper braking system too…. 😀
lolol
I see nothing wrong with people paying for a license or whatever this is to do business…this is only about $30 USD one time a year????!! Alot of these people have this dirty mentality that they shouldn’t pay any kind of tax on anything or complain about small increases but its the same ones that complain that the government is ineffective, or don’t do enough about infrastructure, etc…well where the hell is the money supposed to come from if business people don’t even want to pay $30 per year for operating privilege.
Isn’t it Fuk’d up that nothing in America cost $30 a year? lololll
When u pay taxes at anytime this is to b used to build n set in place certain things that will make the tax payer life easier in JA IT ONLY BENEFIT THE POLITICIANS DEM TOO RASS THEIF
Chuet, all in due time. I believe that one day we will be able to see results. Why? Cause all de ole rass dem a dead out and the younger generation will change the course of our kleptocratic system. Amen. I HAVE A DREAM, yes I DO.
Phantom mi pray fi it enuh trust me cause the thing hard down there, when u have a society that does not have a middle class smh these ppl are the fiber of society so how r what will bring about positive change????
My generation and those behind I believe IS hope (all MET as simple as some tek it) that isn’t willing to bow to uptown, de church or foreign influences. We could have a strong middle class but dem run whey and de all bout a middle class up foreign lands.
De one dem we could a legitimize dem self and help build up de middle class are busy buying LV, Gucci, Red bottoms and $1000 usd one wear dresses.
Phantom ur very right I agree
If u understand politics in Jamaica u will see there is no hope..Kern dem seh him a teef from university days..they dont allow u ina no party unless u can pass di teefing test..
And Met a friend bring in friend into it very few going into outta love for country countrymen, mi say the future dawkkkkkkkk but me fraid fi pronounce dead pon it cause when u love it u don’t want to admit it ahhh boy sad bad
yessssssssssss das how it work..
Met, did you know that most of these guys you see pushing handcarts are not the owner of same. There are “big men” who own these carts and can more than afford to pay it, most of the men who push the carts, its rent they rent them.I don’t think that’s alot of money though, its only $250 per month. Another thing, I am sure they are paying more than that per year for extortion and we don’t hear them complaining. I am just hoping that these tax collected are put to good use.
…and can add that the collectors for the extortionist pose up as handcart men as well.
Met me understand we politics and the subculture of kleptos. Therefore, me nah gi up pon Jamaica. Mandela neva give up pon South Africa.