SOME of the new measures that were announced by Finance Minister Colm Imbert in the 2020 national budget have come into effect on Sunday.
In a full page advertisement yesterday, Government reminded citizens of the measures that took effect from December 1.
From this month, employees of the Unemployed Relief Programme (URP) and the Community-Based Environment Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) will get a 15 per cent increase in their wages.
Trainees of the On-the-Job Training Programme will see a ten per cent hike in their stipends while the intake for the programme will be increased from 5,000 to 8,000 trainees.
The new minimum wage of $17.50 also takes effect from this month, up from $15 per hour.
Some other measures announced in the budget will take effect from January 1.
They include:
• Increase in the solar water heating equipment tax credit from 25 per cent to 100 per cent of the cost of the solar water-heating equipment up to a maximum of $10,000
• Increase in the value of personal goods that can be imported without incurring customs duties from $3,000, which was set in 2005, to $5,000.
• Capital allowance for energy companies involved in exploration and development to be computed on a straight-line basis of 20 per cent over five years, instead of 50 percent for the first year, 30 percent for the second year and 20 percent for the third year.
