Costly burials
Jamaicans spend up to $10b annually to send off loved ones
Funerals in Jamaica, if not funded independently from the estate of the deceased, are financed from pooled family funds, including contributions from relatives overseas, family indemnity plans, and sometimes even from crowd funding platforms, welfare assistance, and other forms of government support initiatives.
“From where I sit, having been in this business for almost five decades, I have seen where over the years there are those persons/families who may want to compete with each other in terms of how extravagant they can get with funerals or how much they can spend to bury their loved ones, which, as a result, is sometimes what takes them over the mark and well above the amount that is really needed to finance an average funeral package or even one they truly can afford,” he said during an interview with the Jamaica Observer.
“While we have some basic packages priced as low as $300,000, it is seen where a higher percentage of clients are choosing those within the $500,000 and above category, as in most cases their intent is to give the deceased a proper send-off and respectable farewells. What is, however, interesting is that oftentimes these costs do not include that for the wake, grave digging, and repast events which comes as other expenditures,” he told the Business Observer.He said that while cremation comes as a much cheaper alternative, packaged at around $300,000 when compared to about $560,000 for burials, most people continue to choose the latter in keeping with religious reasons, even though it can be seen where more people are beginning to warm up to the idea of burning the remains of loved ones.
Locally, the cost of a vault when not burying on family-owned land can be between $125,000 to over $170,000 per half, double, or single vaults at larger cemeteries and about half the amount at municipality operated ones.
Also, for some families, the building of posh sepulchres often incurs more expense, especially when the desire is to have those structures that are framed in much grandeur. In recent times it was disclosed that approximately $3 million was spent to foot the design and construction costs for the mausoleum or grave house of dancehall artist Merciless, the inside of which is said to have been made of “pure marble”.
Notwithstanding inflationary pressures and other challenges of the current economic environment, Lyn, in acknowledging overcharging as a possible factor in some of the most elaborate expenses, cautioned fellow industry players and members of his association against this practice, instead urging them to deal fairly and reasonably in their transactions with customers. This, as he also called for greater regulation, more government support, and incentives for the industry. The local association, now made up of about 20 registered members, consists of popular directors such as Maddens, House of Tranquillity, Morgans, Romans, Sam Isaacs, and St Michaels, among others.
