Several wholesalers in downtown Kingston are rejecting $1 coins as payment for goods, declaring the legal tender unacceptable in their facilities.
"Go throw them weh; nobody no want them," declared one wholesale operator on East Queen Street when a member of our news attempted to pay 35 $1 coins for an item.
"Go throw them weh; nobody no want them," declared one wholesale operator on East Queen Street when a member of our news attempted to pay 35 $1 coins for an item.
Downtown Kingston Jamaica
"I don't owe you any explanations," growled the woman of Asian descent when asked for an explanation as to why she would not accept the coins.
It was a similar story for more than half the other wholesales in the business district as they declined the dollar as payment for items valuing between $35 and $40.
One worker in a wholesaler declared that her boss had a policy that he does not take $1 coins. "No, sah. Him not taking it," the woman said while pointing to a man seeming of Asian descent.
Bank of Jamaica $1 Dollar Coins
He ignored The Sunday Gleaner's query as to why he does not accept $1 coins.
One person who was in the wholesaler at the time charged that the operators, who are mainly Chinese, do not want to accept the coins because "them don't want to bank them money so them no want the heavy silver (coins)".
Under the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) Act, coins are legal tender of payment of an amount not exceeding the face value of a maximum of 50 coins in any combination of denominations.
Last week, the BOJ reiterated that "coins are a legitimate means of settling small transactions and are, by law, legal tender for payment".
According to the BOJ, it stands ready to exchange coins for notes whenever persons accumulate more coins than they deem necessary to keep for daily transactions.
"And we redeem coins for merchants and individuals on a regular basis. We will continue to inform the public as to the provisions of the law with respect to legal tender, and stand ready to facilitate the issue and redemption of notes and coins as demanded by the public," said the BOJ in response to The Sunday Gleaner queries.
However, the BOJ pointed out that not being a law enforcement agency, it is not able to compel business operators to accept the various denominations.
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