Effective April will government will reduce transfer tax from 5 percent to 2 percent, the Minister of Finance Dr. Nigel Clarke told Parliament, in his maiden budget presentation.
The minimum business tax for all businesses and asset taxes for non-financial businesses will be abolished effective April. The taxes were a nuisance and discriminatory in nature, lacking equity as they did not equate to the size of all businesses in the country, resulting in smaller businesses bearing a larger burden than larger ones.
The threshold for filing GCT will be moved from $3 million to $10 million, a level below which no GCT return will have to be filed. The minister stated that the change will result in 3,000 businesses not having to file GCT returns.
Stamp duties relating to certain transactions will be removed and substituted by a simple fee of $5,000, equal to the cost of providing the service. They will also abolish ad valorem stamp duties and replace them with a flat fee of $5,000.
Anya Levy of ReMax Elite Realtors
The amount on which estate tax is payable, will move from $1 million to $10 million effective April. The Minister stated that the measures will result in $14 billion in taxes being given up, by the government.
The minister also stated that the primary surplus will be lowered from 7 percent of GDP to 6.5 percent and was arrived at in discussion with an IMF staff.
IC Insider .com spoke to two noted individuals within the real estate market who are positively impacted by the news on stamp duty and transfer tax reduction. Deborah Cumming of Century 21 said “that is fantastic news, it will make a tremendous difference to the industry and the economy.” While Anya Levy associate broker at ReMax Elite. “that is fantastic, it will give incentive for sellers to move their properties and increase volume. It’s the right move and government will make up the taxes given up by increased volumes.”
The Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange softened on Thursday with trading in 11 securities against 12 on Wednesday, in the fall of all three main indices and a weak reading in IC bid-offer Indicator.
Sagicor Financial concluded trading with a loss of 32 cents at $8.75, after exchanging 2,369 shares. Trinidad & Tobago NGL traded with a loss of 13 cents and completed trading at $30, with exchange of 1,500 units and West Indian Tobacco shares fell 2 cents and ended at $96, with 117,327 stock units changing hands.
Captain Marvel marks the big screen debut of the character, Carol Danvers, played in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Academy Award® winner Brie Larson. 
Tenor Javier Camarena and soprano Pretty Yende team up for a feast of bel canto vocal fireworks—including the show-stopping tenor aria “Ah! Mes amis ..Pour mon âme,” with its nine high Cs. Alessandro Corbelli and Maurizio Muraro trade off as the comic Sergeant Sulpice, with mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe as the outlandish Marquise of Berkenfield. And in an exciting piece of casting, stage and screen icon Kathleen Turner makes her Met debut in the speaking role of the Duchess of Krakenthorp. Enrique Mazzola conducts.
NCB shareholders will be big winners in a successful Guardian acquisition. Net income from investing activities fell from $1,191 million to $982 million, driven primarily by volatility in Global equity markets, which resulted in a Net fair value loss of $12 million in 2018 compared to an exceptional gain of $246 million in 2017”.
close at $1.60 and Sagicor Financial lost 73 cents to $9.07, after exchanging 1,000 shares.
Profit for Stationery and Office Supplies fell well below expectations for 2018, resulting in a downward revision to the 2019 estimate to 75 cents per share that is not good enough to keep it in the TOP 10. 
the Junior Market at 10.6. The PE ratio for Junior Market Top 10 stocks average 6.4 and the main market PE is now 8.5.
with the stocks with the highest potential gains ranked first followed by the rest, in descending order. Potential values will change as stock prices fluctuate and will result in movements of the selection in and out of the lists for most weeks. Earnings per share are revised on an ongoing basis based on new information received that can result in changes in and out of the list as well.
Trading on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended trading on Tuesday with more stocks declining than rising for the second day leading to another fall in the market index of 10.21 points to 3,109.61.
9,200 shares trading, Iron Rock settled at $3.50, exchanging 4,832 shares, Jamaican Teas traded 74,106 units with a loss of 15 cents at $3.85, Jetcon Corporation lost 15 cents to end at $2.95, with the swapping of 27,400 shares. KLE Group ended with a loss of 30 cents at $2.80, with 550 shares changing owners, Knutsford Express concluded trading of 4,311 stock units at $12, Lasco Distributors finished 1 cent higher at $3.71, in exchanging 210,500 units, Lasco Financial settled with a loss of 20 cents at $4.80, trading 2,260,678 shares. Lasco Manufacturing ended trading at $3, with 182,048 shares changing hands, Main Event traded 16,400 shares with a loss of 5 cents at $5.35, SSL Venture Capital ended at $1.95, trading 4,298 shares and Stationery and Office concluded trading of 2,800 shares with a loss of 20 cents to close at $8.20.
Trading on the main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended on Tuesday with JSE All Jamaican Composite Index diving 3,381.16 points to close at 424,644.22 and the JSE Index dropping 3,072.49 points to close at 386,878.89.
shares after gaining 45 cents to close at $34, Jamaica Producers rose 45 cents and closed trading of 22,284 shares, at $22.95. Jamaica Stock Exchange exchanged 38,711 shares after falling by $1.10 to $15.90, JMMB Group concluded trading of 10,363,886 shares with a fall of $1.10 to close at $31.90. Kingston Wharves jumped $1 and settled at $76, with an exchange of 549 units. Mayberry Equities rose 47 cents in trading of 1,000 shares at $9.45, Proven Investments traded 9,165 shares to rise by $3 to end at $31. Sagicor Group lost 90 cents in trading 235,611 shares, to close at $39, Salada Foods gained 99 cents trading 1,400 units to close at $29.99 and Supreme Ventures shed $1 to finish at $22 with 59,963 units changing hands.
Trading on the main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended on Monday with JSE All Jamaican Composite Index falling by 425.48 points to 428,025.38 and the JSE Index declined by 386.63 points to 389,951.38.
closed trading of 31,300 shares, at $22.50, JMMB Group concluded trading of 123,997 shares with a rise of $1 to close at $33. Kingston Wharves jumped $3.50 and settled at $75, with an exchange of 861 units. Mayberry Equities dipped $1 and ended trading of 104,405 shares at $9, NCB Financial Group traded 14,520 shares but rose 30 cents to end at $144.80, PanJam Investment lost $1 to end at $79, in trading 13,940 units. Sagicor Group lost $1.10 in trading 914,140 shares, to close at $39.90, Salada Foods shed 50 cents trading 2,760 units to close at $29 and Supreme Ventures climbed $1 to finish at $23 with 52,756 units changing hands.
