WESTERN HANOVER Member of Parliament (MP) Ian Hayles wants Government to direct the tax man to take his eye off the salaries of 15 per cent of working-class Jamaicans.

In proposing a system similar to the 401K, which obtains in the United States, the former US citizen said the move would allow ordinary working-class Jamaicans to build wealth.

During his contribution to the Sectoral Debate at Gordon House on Tuesday, Hayles argued that the increase in the income tax threshold, which was announced by finance minister Audley Shaw, is not likely to help lower- and middle-class Jamaicans.

He said that if the Government was serious about transforming lives and growing wealth, it would create a framework for people to save a portion of their income before it was taxed.

"We need a shift in policy in this country that will allow the poor working class to invest and save. To allow those at the bottom, weekly, fortnightly and monthly, to put away 10-15 per cent of their gross earnings before taxes are withdrawn, thus allowing equal opportunity," Hayles said.

He told the House that a similar system, called the 401K in the United States, allowed persons to move from the bottom of the pile to the middle.

Meanwhile, Hayles, who is the opposition spokesman on industry and investment, told Parliament that it was time to create enterprise zones within communities across the island.

He called for modernised tax policies to encourage investment across the country.

"A businessperson who wants to expand or start a new business within areas that others consider risky should not pay the same tax as someone who operates from the confines of a pre-established area," Hayles said.

He added: "We have to find ways of allowing and offering these businesses to relocate parts of their operations to rural and inner-city communities across this country."