Belize Tax Service Defends SARA Shift, Eases Data Security Fears

The Belize Tax Service is standing firm on its decision to transition into a Semi-Autonomous Revenue Authority, saying it’s a necessary move to boost efficiency and reliability. But with that announcement came some public concern, especially around the safety of personal data. Well, Director Michelle Longsworth is clearing the air. She says there’s no need to worry, data protection has been a top priority for some time now. In fact, under the current system, the department has already been going through strict international assessments to ensure secure information sharing. And according to Longsworth, that level of scrutiny won’t stop once SARA takes over.

 

On the Phone: Michelle Longsworth, Director General, Belize Tax Service Department

“We cannot advise the government if we don’t have the requisite data. The use of electronic data has actually provided us now that we’re collecting electronic data to advise the government on certain areas. That can impact the public. I like to use the example of the recent and now this month, GST free weekends. We were able to inform the decision making of that by the data we have. Because persons now file their data electronically, so we’re easily, it’s easy for us to properly analyze those data in order to have some impact on how we advise the policymakers. Tax administrations are facing growing international obligations from cross-border data exchange to tackling crypto transaction automatic exchange, a whole other set of requirements from a tax administration, which requires that our staff be equipped. To address these obligations as a tax administration, okay? Which means that we have to be in a position where we can invest in our staff to improve so that they can retool and become versed in the services know that we have to provide. We have to be better able to compensate them. We cannot do that under the government model because at the end of the day, we have to, or we are within the confines of the public service governance structure and the public service salary scale.”