Gov’t to Undertake Major Buildout of Tax Offices

The Government will be undertaking a major buildout of tax offices over the next several years, says Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke.

Citing that this will be “the largest that we have had in Jamaica’s history”, the Minister said the move supports the Government’s drive to improve the public’s interaction with Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ).

“The experience that Jamaicans have with the tax office is one of the experiences that define government to them. We have to improve [that] interaction, and the first way of doing that is to upgrade the physical environment,” Dr. Clarke explained.

He was speaking at the graduation ceremony for 23 participants in the Tax Audit and Revenue Administration (TARA) programme, at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Wednesday (October 5).

Dr. Clarke said some of the activities to be carried out under the programmed buildout will result in new buildings while, in other areas, there will be renovations of existing spaces.

He advised that the Cross Roads Tax Office in Kingston will be the first to be upgraded, noting that the building is slated to be transformed into a structure with upwards of five storeys.

Dr. Clarke said when completed, the office will be equipped with drive-through smart facilities, among other features, to serve the public seamlessly.

The Minister said TAJ’s online portal is also slated to be improved, rendering it more customer-friendly.

“To improve the experience of the Jamaican citizen with their government, is to ensure that there is digital access and that that access is seamless and easy to use,” he outlined.

Dr. Clarke said although 80 per cent of tax types can be paid online, there are often crowds at TAJ offices, especially at the end of each month.

He pointed out that once a customer-friendly online portal is implemented, this will be a “testimony of how the Government of Jamaica sees the citizens that it serves”.

“We could have no better testimony than having a tax portal that is straightforward, simple, accessible, available,” the Minister emphasised.

He encouraged TAJ to undertake a public education campaign to sensitise Jamaicans on how to use the platform, when launched.

The postgraduate diploma programme, now in its 31st cohort, aims to provide participants with the fundamental skills to handle taxpayer requirements in all aspects of taxation, through classroom learning and on-the-job training.

The programme is administered by the Management Institute for National Development (MIND) and significantly bolsters the TAJ workforce’s capabilities.

Dr. Clarke urged the graduates to continue driving the organsation “to higher levels of customer service and higher levels of improving access for all Jamaicans”.