TAJ Takes Taxes on the road in September

Tax Administration Jamaica will this month engage several categories of taxpayers through a series of events scheduled for Kingston, St. Andrew, Portland and St. James. The ‘September Agenda’ kicks off on September 8, when the TAJ Team led by Commissioner General Ainsley Powell and including other executives as well as senior managers, participates at the Jamaica Employers Federation’s (JEF) seminar to update and inform their membership on the recent changes to the Personal Income Tax threshold. The next stop will be in Montego Bay at the Parish Chambers Quarterly Meeting scheduled for Saturday September 10 at the Montego Bay Cultural Centre for a presentation on ‘The ease of doing business with TAJ’.

A closed round table meeting hosted by the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC) will be next on the Tax Team’s itinerary on Wednesday September 14. At that event, JCC members will get the opportunity to participate in frank and open discussions on a wide range of tax related matters.

TAJ will also be represented at The Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAJ) Taxation Seminar at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Thursday September 15. In addition to a presentation on the changes to Personal Income Tax and phase three of the Revenue Administration Information System (RAiS) which went ‘live on September 5, several information desks or ‘Tax Spots’ will be set-up to facilitate one-on-one technical guidance and assistance.

Next on the ‘September Agenda’ is the Betting, Gaming & Lotteries Commission (BGLC) Annual Gaming Summit at the Jamaica Conference Centre on Thursday September 22. TAJ has been invited to make a presentation on the ‘Implications of the Revenue Administration Information System on BG&L Licensees’. An Information Desk will also be available at this engagement for consultations with licensees.

In recognition of Senior Citizens Month which is observed in September, our valued Pensioners have also been included on the ‘September Agenda’ as TAJ partners with the Accountant General’s Department (AGD) to host their island-wide Pensioners’ Information Forums. This month’s leg of the series, will be held at the Errol Flynn Marina, Port Antonio, on Friday September 23. TAJ’s booth will feature publications and presentations relating to Pensioners as well as a Taxpayer Education Team ready to handle queries and provide additional information.

The ramping up of TAJ’s stakeholder engagements and outreach activities is in keeping with the organisation’s thrust to take taxes ‘out of the office’. TAJ has been participating in more traditional and non-traditional events and engaging all categories of taxpayers in an effort to equip the public with up-to-date and accurate information, as a means of encouraging voluntary compliance.