Almost 8,000 persons took advantage of the Barbados Revenue Authority’s Tax Clinics and in-person Customer Service facilities during this year’s income tax filing season, with close to 11,000 calls fielded by the Contact Centre.
Seventy-seven per cent of persons who reached out for help required password resets. The 2022 PIT filing and payment deadline was May 2, 2023, while persons filing the 2022 RTC have until December 31, 2024.
The Authority’s Communications Officer, Erica Lazare, said filing generally went well with a 71 per cent filing compliance rate, culminating with a sharp increase in online traffic and calls on the final day of filing. She added that there would be recourse for PIT filers with legitimate claims who were unable to file on time.
“The final day saw a significant increase of users on the TAMIS system and while we had a relatively high percentage of filers, at some points, TAMIS slowed a bit but most importantly, was still working. We do appreciate some people had issues, which may have prevented them from filing their PIT on time. In those instances, we ask those persons to go to their Account tab and submit an Objection for consideration. Make sure to include as much detail as possible.
“Online payments increased once again and this reflects taxpayers’ improved payment performance. We intend to publish some of the tax filing metrics on the website quite soon,” she shared.
Ms. Lazare advised taxpayers to save their usernames and passwords in a safe place as most persons only access the system once a year and may forget these details. The team is also working with the developers to improve the password reset process.
She also urged persons to verify their third-party information and file accurate returns as early as possible to avoid any last-minute rush, and to ensure that bank or credit union details are available should a refund of tax result from filings.
The Authority is currently conducting a debrief of the filing season with a view to collating recommendations for improvements in the future.