Caribbean Tax Administrators Hoping to Boost Compliance

Belize is playing host to tax officials from across the Caribbean this week as countries work to improve tax collection and reduce outstanding arrears. The regional Compliance Risk Management workshop, supported by the International Monetary Fund, is bringing together tax administrators to share strategies for improving compliance, increasing revenue collection and encouraging taxpayers to meet their obligations. News Five’s Shane Williams reports.

 

Shane Williams Reporting

For governments across the Caribbean, collecting taxes efficiently remains a constant challenge. This week, representatives from six countries gathered in Belize to discuss solutions at a regional Compliance Risk Management workshop. Supported by the IMF, the initiative focuses on helping tax administrations identify compliance risks, reduce tax arrears and make better use of data-driven systems.

 

Pauline Peters, IMF Representative

“We have developed this project from HQ – from headquarters – along with our regional office, CARTAC, basically to provide support to all of the Caribbean countries in the area of improving compliance risk management throughout the entire Caribbean. Over the next couple of days, we’re going to continue to share experiences among the various countries.”

 

The workshop gives participating countries an opportunity to compare experiences and learn from one another.

 

 Devon Deslandes, Chief Programs Officer, Tax Administration, Jamaica

“Before programmes like these came along, we were never meeting our revenue targets. Since we have started participating in programmes like this, each year we have been successful in meeting our revenue targets. We have been successful in expanding tax compliance across the island and organizing ourselves so that we become more effective in tax compliance.”

 

Sharon Moya, Assistant Director General, Belize Tax Service

“Belize had agreed to do specific actions to improve compliance in the tax administration. So that also meant making sure that we have a risk register and being able to identify the risks that we’re facing in a tax administration and how we’re going to mitigate those risks, ensuring that we have a committee meeting regularly in order for us to discuss all of these issues that we’re having.”

 

But improving compliance is not only about technology, risk registers and enforcement measures. Officials say one of the biggest hurdles is convincing citizens that paying taxes is a shared responsibility. Across the region, tax authorities are investing in education campaigns and tailored outreach efforts aimed at changing public attitudes toward compliance.

 

 

Nicole Williams, Deputy Commissioner of Inland Revenue, Guyana

“Nobody likes to pay taxes. So we find that for the general population, there’s been a reluctance. But what the Guyana Revenue Authority has done is segment its taxpayers. So for the last eight or so years we now have a large taxpayer segment and amongst those taxpayers, the compliance rate is very high.”

 

 Randy Cadette, Deputy Comptroller of Inland Revenue, Grenada

“It’s a challenge in trying to change the tax morale, in trying to change the tax culture of our citizens in Grenada. But in an – at IRD in Grenada, we are intentional in trying to bridge that gap between compliance and non-compliance. So we are focusing heavily on ensuring that our taxpayers are given the right information so that they can be well-educated, because we believe that the more educated the taxpayers are, the more compliant they will be.”

 

 Kathleen Pilgrim, Senior Manager of Enterprise Risk, Barbados Revenue Authority

“We’re trying to learn in implementing compliance risk management how to be the softer side of compliance. No person wants us to go straight to an enforcement measure which is seen as more punitive and so on. So we’re trying to, through taxpayer education and so on, to actually soften that part of it. So hopefully at the end, the citizens would respond in a like manner and and comply voluntarily rather than us having to force them.”

 

The workshop continues over the next several days, with participants exploring additional strategies to strengthen compliance programmes and improve revenue collection across the Caribbean region. Shane Williams for News Five.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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