Mayor want to charge market fees by weight of goods

Mayor of Montego Bay Homer Davis has shelved plans to introduce a system at the Charles Gordon Market that would see vendors charged market fees based on the weight of their goods.

Davis had told the vendors that he would place a scale at the entrance of the market to weigh the produce being taken into the market.

"If a person comes to the market with a hundred pounds of food, they pay a market fee for a hundred pounds," Davis said.

He said the process being used to rent the market now has too many loopholes, which he believes fosters corruption.

"The way in which it is being done now, it is left for the human being to charge you based on the number of bags you have, and if you are a good friend, you may only pay for five of your bags," Davis said.

The mayor told THE STAR that charges would be applied based on the value of the produce.

"For example, a bag of broccoli, You can't charge for yam the way you would charge for a bag of broccoli because broccoli is like $300 a pound whereas yam is like $70 a pound," Davis said.

However, Davis said that he has placed the plan to introduce the weigh station on the back burner after vendors in the market voiced strong opposition.