Gov't to spend $229 million for hospital lands

A whopping $229 million is to be spent to purchase lands for the building of a new tax office in Kingston.

The lands are located at Nuttall Hospital in Cross Roads.

The Andrew Holness-led Cabinet gave approval for the Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) to purchase the lands for the construction of a building to house the Cross Roads Tax Office and other TAJ offices.

"A new building is required for the Cross Roads Tax Office, one of three such offices located in the Kingston and St Andrew metropolitan area, as the current one's inadequate and can no longer properly house its operations, thereby limiting the revenue-collection capability," a ministry paper laid in pParliament said.

The Government said that the existing Cross Roads Tax Office is contributing to traffic congestion due to limited parking and long waiting lines leading on to the streets.