Jamaica Customs hikes clearance fee for barrels

The $6,500 fee to clear all personal effects barrel at the wharves takes effect today.

Personal effects refer to items for an individual or a household and do not apply to barrels containing items in commercial quantities.

The Jamaica Customs Department had initially announced that the fee increase from $5,000 to 6,500 would take effect on November 1.

But it later postponed the implementation date to today, following complaints about the time of the announcement which came ahead of the Christmas season and also followed the passage of Hurricane Sandy.

The Customs Department is also reminding the public not to make a false declaration by stating that barrels with commercial quantities are personal effects.

It says such a practice is a breach of the Customs Act and will result in penalties including possible forfeiture of goods.

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