I was very happy to read the VOICE Newspaper last week and see that someone finally wrote about a topic that has been on my mind for quite some time: Customs Duties. I am Jamaican, and I thought things were bad before coming to Saint Lucia in terms of customs charges, but things are much worse here. The kind of scrutiny people who live here get from the customs authorities on the airports is too much. The Customs Tariff in Jamaica allows for each passenger to receive duty concessions not exceeding US$500 per trip, as compared to US$250 for the entire year for people who live in Saint Lucia. I think these regulations are very outdated. People travel much more nowadays, and for a society that considered itself to be progressive, this is quite shameful. Saint Lucia can do better.
— Paul Ernest