Telephone tax levy rakes in J$10 billion

The Universal Service Fund (USF) is reporting that it has raked in close to J$10 billion from the levy on telephone calls. Collections as at February 5 totalled J$9.7 billion dollars.

The money will be used to accelerate the deployment of broadband services island-wide, in keeping with the government’s effort to enable more Jamaicans to access Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

The USF, formerly the Universal Access Fund, is financed through a levy of US$0.03 per minute on inbound international calls terminated to fixed lines and US$0.02 cents per minute on calls terminated on mobile lines in Jamaica.