Senator Bernard questions whether JCCA will address vexed issue of banking fees

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Opposition Senator Alan Bernard has argued that the soon-to-be established Jamaica Consumer and Competition Authority (JCCA) should be empowered to address the vexed issue of banking fees.

Bernard made the argument in the Senate on Friday, during his contribution to the debate on the JCCA Bill that will establish the authority, while replacing the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Fair Trading Commission (FTC). The bill, which was piloted by the Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Senator Aubyn Hill, was eventually passed with three amendments.

Bernard told the Parliament that if the market itself is producing practices that adversely affect consumers, this new authority should be capable of studying that market through both the consumer-protection and competition lenses.