BRA cashiers returning to BLA from Monday

Cashiers of the Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA) will be returning to the offices of the Barbados Licensing Authority (BLA) from Monday morning, providing a full suite of services.

This announcement was made today by Acting Prime Minister, Santia Bradshaw, when she visited the Pine headquarters of the BLA to look at the progress of alterations that started earlier today, to accommodate the staff of the revenue agency.

Bradshaw, who is also Senior Minister with responsibility for the Ministry of Transport, Works and Water Resources, under which the BLA falls, apologised to Barbadians for the less than desirable level of service to which they had been subjected over the past year.

She stressed that major reforms had been started to create a department that was far more customer focussed, and steps were already in place to ensure persons doing business at the Pine are greeted and engaged from the moment they arrive.

“The Barbados Licensing Authority has to become more customer friendly,” the Acting Prime Minister said, after conferring with Revenue Commissioner Louisa Lewis-Ward about how Barbadians visiting the reopened office in the Pine would be accommodated.

According to the Acting Prime Minister, the office being opened tomorrow is temporary, and next week work would begin on the BRA’s substantive office at the Pine, which would provide more comfortable surroundings for both staff and clients.

She thanked staff of the Vehicle Registration section of BLA and the Building Standards Authority, who willingly gave up their offices temporarily in the interest of making the experience of customers more tolerable and efficient.

Lewis-Ward complimented the workers engaged to undertake the renovations in less than 48 hours, and promised Barbadians that her team of seven cashiers and support personnel would be in place early Monday morning, ready to serve customers making payments for all services provided by the Licensing Authority, as well as non-BLA matters such as TAMIS and land tax.

“We have recognised that putting many of the services online during COVID worked for us, but we now need to get back in person to assist the general public with the full suite of offerings,” the Revenue Commissioner said. “We look forward to welcoming the public.” (PR)