Byer Suckoo: Waiver programme successful
$11.7 million of outstanding money owed to the National Insurance Department was collected during the five-month waiver on interest which ran from October 1st last year to March 1st this year and the Department is seeking to run a similar programme again soon.
That’s according to the Minister of Labour, Social Security and Human Resource Development, Senator Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo, who said under the programme some 147 employers submitted arrears payments, and interest totalling $7.8 million was waived. She made the disclosure in the Upper House yesterday as senators considered the National Insurance and Social Security (Amendment) Bill to give effect to the five-month 100 per cent waiver of interest.
“The waiver was part of the measures put in place to assist businesses and self employed persons with their cash flow. We have seen over the years, certainly since I have been responsible for this Ministry, that a number of companies and businesses, and not just small businesses, but some very large ones as well have had some problems when it came to keeping up with their national insurance payments. Unfortunately I also am aware that very often the payments were deducted from the employees and was not actually remitted to National Insurance,” she said.
Minister Byer Suckoo noted that based on the success of the waiver, and calls from employers to do it again, they are making plans to extend it for another six months, which she said would require additional amendments to the legislation. She said while no dates have been set as yet for that waiver period, the proposal has found favour with the Cabinet and the Ministry of Finance and she is encouraging those who owe arrears to the department to “keep their ears to the ground” to hear when it will be done so they can take advantage of it.
“Too often I get calls at the 11th hour, sometimes even well past that, after the time has expired saying I didn’t know about this… And if you are hearing about this and you know somebody who has a similar challenge pass it on,” she said.
Byer Suckoo made the comments as she noted that the Department has been working over the years with defaulters to ensure that they make the required payments. She explained that where persons seek the assistance of the Department in that regard, the National Insurance has been willing to work out a package for payment with the defaulters that they can afford.
“[But] we do have some defaulters who default no matter what programme we put them on and there is very little we can do for them,” she said.
The Labour and Social Security Minister’s comments came as she contended that the National Insurance is doing its best to be responsive to the needs of the Barbadian society. With that in mind, she indicated that they have also ensured that those seeking to meet their debt obligations to the Department do not have to have all their arrears cleared to get the necessary tax clearance certificates to be able to bid on work, recognising that this could prevent them for getting necessary cash flow.
“You can see the catch 22 – if you have arrears, because of the arrears you can’t a clear certificate, and because you can’t get a clearance certificate you can’t bid on work, you are never going to be in a position; it is like debtors jail. You put someone in debtors’ jail, they are never able to pay that debt so we have been looking at the requirements for the tax clearance certificate,” she said. (JRT)