Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) wishes to advise business persons that GCT Returns for July become due on Thursday August 31, 2017. Medium taxpayers are also reminded that they must file their returns using the TAJ online portal at www.jamaicatax.gov.jm, as online filing for this category of taxpayer is mandatory.

Business operators can utilize the convenience of the Saturday opening, to avoid the last minute rush to file their returns ahead of the due date, or conduct any other usual weekday transaction with the exception of compliance and audit services.

Source: Tax Administration Jamaica

The following is the World Bank's annual doing business report 2017, which highlights the regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it. Doing Business presents quantitative indicators on business regulations and the protection of property rights that can be compared across 190 economies

This report including an analysis of the business climate in Jamaica. Our own Managing Director Joan Ferreira-Dallas contributed to this report under the "Jamaica" section See credits on page 306.

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August 8, 2017 3:34 PM-
Preliminary figures indicate that Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) has exceeded the first quarter collections target for the 2017/18 fiscal year. The net projection for June 2017 was $26.2B. During the period June 1 – 30, 2017 however, net collections totaled $32.8B, representing 125.2% of projections. The year to date (YTD) net collections now stand at $73.6B which is 109.4% of the $67.3B projected for the period. Refund payments made during the same period totaled $1.0B. Year-to-date refund payments totaled approximately $3.9B.

A review of the first quarter performance over the last three financial years, shows that the target has consistently been surpassed, 103.1% in 2015/16; 108.5% in 2016/17 and 109.4% this year.

This positive outcome, so early in the financial year is as a result of the continuation of focused compliance strategies which has resulted in TAJ surpassing its annual target for the past two fiscal years.

These compliance efforts included closer monitoring of arrears which was facilitated through the implementation of the Revenue Administration Information System (RAiS); the mandating of medium taxpayers to file their GCT returns online; the application of a system generated penalty of $5,000 per month per return for late filing. Additionally, the positive outcome may be attributed to the implementation of strategies such as the threshold abuse and new taxpayer registration programmes.

The service and education push continued as Taxpayer Education Teams, Technical Specialists, Client Relationship Managers and Customer Care Agents interfaced with taxpayers to educate and inform them of their rights and obligations as well as provide tax information and assistance. Seminars, workshops, sensitization sessions and speaking engagements were some of the strategies employed. Traditional and social media were also employed to make information more readily available to taxpayers.

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Source: Tax Administration Jamaica

Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) will implement the next phase of its mandatory e-filing of tax returns on January 1, 2017. This is in keeping with TAJ’s continued focus on enhancing system capacity to capture data in a more accurate and timely manner, as well as to assist in the efforts to develop a more efficient tax system.

The group that has been identified for mandatory e-filing of GCT Returns via the Jamaica Tax Portal at www.jamaicatax.gov.jm in this phase, is Medium (upper and lower) taxpayers who are classified by :-

- Annual sales of $150M - $1B
- Annual tax payments of $30M - $500M

This new procedural change will require this group of taxpayers to file their monthly GCT returns online. This will take effect in January 2017 when the December 2016 return falls due.

The amendment to the Revenue Administration Act gives the Commissioner General the authority to require any person to furnish a return as considered necessary in such form and manner as directed.

To assist businesses to meet this legal obligation, TAJ will be providing training support to persons identified in this third phase of the mandatory e-filing requirement. Taxpayers can therefore, make arrangements for eOne-on-One sessions to train their staff or request an
Advisory Visit at their business locations to get assistance on the procedure to e-file returns.

Taxpayers are advised to contact their Client Relationship Manager (CRM), Taxpayer Education Manager or the Customer Care Centre to register for e-fling or to arrange for the assistance. Additionally, a ‘How To’ guide for eFiling of Consumption Tax Returns is available
online on the TAJ website at www.jamaicatax.gov.jm.

Additionally, while this group of taxpayers is now being mandated to e-file their GCT returns, other businesses and persons are encouraged to use the convenience of the website to file their returns. Support will also be provided, if required. Large taxpayers and all employers are already required to file online and TAJ will be moving in short order, to require other taxpayer segments and types of returns to be filed electronically.

Source: Tax Administration Jamaica