EDITORIAL

A tax system for all

When personal tax filing starts soon, it will be the first time taxpayers use the TAMIS system.

According to the Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA), TAMIS is ‘a new online integrated tax platform...which provides more efficient, accurate and user-friendly services for taxpayers’.

Tax-filing is not the most entertaining of activities, so any move to facilitate the process is certainly welcome. To their credit, the BRA has provided easy-to-follow video tutorials on their website and opened clinics to assist with the initial registration.

However, there are a number of matters that are cause for further discussion as it relates to the elderly, especially as the organisation launches a fully, electronic filing process. One can argue that the world has changed, and since digitisation and electronic transactions are common and expanding worldwide, older persons must get onboard and adapt to change. Indeed, as digitisation is a stated policy of this new administration, any improvements in the information and communications technology field is sure to increase Barbados’ competitiveness and efficiency on the global scale.

On the other hand, in a population that has a large elderly base that did not much have exposure to ICT education, it can also be argued that the state should be mindful of those who may not be online or are not very comfortable using the internet.

We are sure that BRA staff will be on hand to assist those having difficulty, just as they did during the days of paper-based filing and/or ETax filing, but this does not only relate to the filing of tax returns, but also public service announcements. It is true that social media is a tool that gives instant notification and we are aware that the BRA, along with other companies, has made public notifications on its Facebook account or website. However, many older persons are not as ‘plugged in’ to modern technology, and by ‘older’ we’re not only referring to senior citizens in their 70s and beyond, but even the middle-aged between 50 and 69, who may not be totally computer literate or receive information as quickly as their younger peers do.

Of course, the paper-based method may well and truly be over and, like other adjustments made over the years, it will have to become the new normal. This raises another point: if full digitisation is the only option, then the BRA should seriously consider providing a mobile site on which users can file their taxes or see their tax obligations. The BRA’s current website is viewed best on a computer or laptop, but does not have a corresponding site suited for mobile devices, such as tablets or cellphones. This ‘add-on’ would be particularly helpful, given that most people use their cellphones on a daily basis and have them at their ready disposal. If that is not
feasible, then a mobile application, commonly known as an app, would also provide added functionality for users and keep the theme of the TAMIS platform being easy and user-friendly.

The ease of filing taxes is much appreciated. We are well aware that change is not always undertaken voluntarily, but any system that is more easy and accurate is one to encourage. As time goes on, we are hopeful that TAMIS adopts greater facilitation of technology and/or more mindfulness of all the users on that system.

Barbados Advocate

Mailing Address:
Advocate Publishers (2000) Inc
Fontabelle, St. Michael, Barbados

Phone: (246) 467-2000
Fax: (246) 434-2020 / (246) 434-1000