NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2026 56 INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMS DAY/CUSTOMS WEEK FEATURE | THE SUNDAY GLEANER | FEBRUARY 1, 2026 Aneskia Smalling, Director for Revenue Accounts at Jamaica Customs Agency, addresses stakeholders at the Tourism Enhancement Fund seminar, highlighting the importance of airline compliance with the Travel Tax Act to support national revenue and sustainable development. IN PHOTO AT RIGHT: Director of the Contraband Enforcement Team (CET), Kalista Powell (centre) and Dave Hanson, Manager at Jamaica Customs, observe as a U.S. Embassy representative demonstrates the use of the newly donated detection kit, aimed at strengthening Customs’ drug interdiction capabilities In 2025, Jamaica Customs Agency reinforced its role in safeguarding national revenue by urging airlines to ensure timely compliance with the Travel Tax Act. Speaking at the Tourism Enhancement Fund Stakeholder Seminar on June 13, Customs Director for Revenue Accounts, Aneskia Smalling, underscored the importance of adherence to travel tax obligations, noting that travel taxes account for approximately 10 per cent of Jamaica’s international trade revenue. The engagement highlighted Customs’ ongoing collaboration with key stakeholders in the aviation and tourism sectors to strengthen compliance, improve revenue collection, and support sustainable national development, making it a significant milestone in Customs’ regulatory and public education efforts JAMAICA CUSTOMS Agency significantly strengthened its ability to combat drug trafficking and transnational crime in 2025 with the donation of two mass spectrometers and fentanyl test kits from the United States Government, through the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. The equipment, handed over in Kingston, enhances forensic and frontline detection of narcotics and hazardous substances and follows a major seizure of over 200 illegal firearms and 20,000 rounds of ammunition. Supported by specialised training for officers, the initiative marked a key step in improving Customs’ operational capacity and protecting communities from dangerous illicit substances. CUSTOMS URGES TIMELY TRAVEL TAX COMPLIANCE FROM AIRLINES CUSTOMS BOOSTS DRUG DETECTION WITH US-DONATED EQUIPMENT
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