PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MARCH 30, 2022
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The National Housing Trust (NHT) made its appearance at the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) Virtual Biz Zone on March 29, 2022 to encourage entrepreneurs that homeownership is possible through the NHT. The presentation entitled “Self-Employment and the NHT” came as the final in the Women Entrepreneurs Series for the month of March.
Camesha Samuels-Smith, Marketing and Sales Officer detailed the processes necessary for entrepreneurs to contribute to the NHT as well as access homeownership options. “Homeownership is a big deal, it is building your wealth, it is the potential to provide income and security for your family and it provides you with peace of mind,” she said.
Mrs. Samuels-Smith reminded participants who is considered a self-employed person. “If you are in business for yourself, carry out a trade as a sole proprietor, if you work as a contractor, if you are an employed person earning income from self-employment activities or you are a director for a company and receiving a director’s fee, you are considered self-employed,” she explained.
She noted that a self-employed individual’s contribution to the NHT would be 3% of their income while specifically noting that for domestic helpers and gardeners, it would be 2%. Camesha added that self-employed individuals can contribute to the NHT by downloading the S04a form from the Tax Administration of Jamaica’s (TAJ) website, complete and submit it along with their quarterly payments to the TAJ. She added, “when you are ready to register and begin to start making contributions you have to visit the TAJ as there are compliance officers trained to assist with the processes.”
Continuing, she noted “What you contribute will be based on your income. So self-employed persons, you will have to estimate how much you are going to earn for the year by previous trends or industry standards. When you are ready to register you must have a TRN, NIS card, working email account, business registration certificate and a valid ID.”
Mrs. Samuels-Smith said, “You must maintain good records of your expenses, that when you go into register you will be able to correctly estimate what you are making for the year, and you will contribute from that.” She concluded by encouraging entrepreneurs to save, research, keep their fingers on the pulse of the real estate market and reminded entrepreneurs that NHT is there to help facilitate their journey to homeownership.
Suzette Campbell, Corporate Communications Manager at JBDC said, “The JBDC is continuously delighted to provide informational sessions such as these to our entrepreneurs in the Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (MSME) sector. Through our Biz Zone webinars, we want to empower and educate Jamaican entrepreneurs on the options and resources available to help them succeed in all facets of life.”
The JBDC Virtual Biz Zone webinars are geared toward stimulating entrepreneurs within the MSME sector. These sessions are held on Tuesdays at 10:00 am via Zoom. Interested persons are encouraged to join by registering at www.jbdc.net. The sessions can also be watched on JBDC’s YouTube channel.
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ABOUT
The Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) was established in 2001 as the premier government agency providing business development services to Jamaican Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs)…’From Concept to Market’, JBDC provides guidance for business start-ups and expansion, offering business advice and consultation, research services, business monitoring, training and capacity building, project management services, financial advice, design and product development as well as market penetration support and access. The organisation which operates within the ambit of the Ministry of Industry, Investment & Commerce (MIIC), strives to continually fuel the local economy through its services and programmes designed to support the growth and development of the MSME sector.
Contact: Corporate Communications Unit
JBDC
Tel: 928-5161-5, exts 244, 274 or 277, SL: 930-8531
Fax: 938-2438
Email: Website: www.jbdc.net
