Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) Commissioner-General Ainsley Powell is now collecting approximately 80 per cent of its revenue through online platforms.

In making the disclosure, Powell said that the development is welcome, as it has significantly reduced the number of business customers visiting the TAJ’s offices to complete transactions such as the filing of
income tax returns.

“On March 15th, which is the due date for income tax, we used to have persons working up to one, two o’clock in the morning just to cash payments received, and that was a big challenge for us. We would have taxpayers in the offices up to 10 in the night doing filing and payments. We now close on a due date at a regular time.”

Powell was speaking during a technical briefing on day one of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade’s Diplomatic Week held at the ministry’s office in downtown Kingston on Monday (March 10).

The commissioner general said the TAJ is moving in a digital direction and has entered a phase where it is expanding its online features. 

“The payment of property tax online is another big plus for the TAJ. Persons who, for instance, have migrated and still have properties in Jamaica have been able to deal with that issue of paying their property tax online,” he pointed out.

Powell said the public has welcomed the addition of other digital services such as the payment of motor-vehicle fitness fees and traffic tickets online.

He noted that the move to online payments for police records is another key area that positively impacted operations at the island’s tax offices.

“That was a big change for us, because sometimes you would get persons sending in a thousand or more names and TRNs (taxpayer registration numbers) to pay for police records. Having moved this online, we have reduced that problem significantly, and I think stakeholders have found it much easier. We have created the opportunity for them to do it as they need, on demand, rather than pulling together a
list of over a thousand people,” the TAJ head explained.

He said that the agency is now at the optimal point where its existing legacy systems will need to be replaced for it to make better use of the digital landscape.

While welcoming the increase in online transactions, Powell recognised that some persons prefer to visit its offices to do business. He noted, for example, that for payment of property taxes, the transition to online has been slower because “property tax payment is an event in Jamaica”.

“We have persons who look forward to going to the tax office and so, it’s going to take a while for that transition.”

In addition, he said, “We still have the challenge where… cash is king, and persons still want to use their cash.”  

As such, he said, “We need to find a balance between how much additional capital we will spend on brick and mortar to allow for persons to come in to do business as opposed to going online.”

Diplomatic Week is being observed from March 10 to 14 and provides an opportunity for resident and non-resident ambassadors to engage with Jamaica’s leadership, exchange perspectives and explore opportunities for collaboration.