Tax filing held up as employers lag

Hundreds of employees are being hampered daily in their efforts to file accurate 2018 income tax returns, as their employers fail to upload critical income information on their behalf, the Barbados Revenue Authority has charged.

Employers are being urged by the Barbados Revenue Authority to provide the necessary information to allow workers to file their tax returns, BRA spokeswoman Erica Lazare has said.

The tardiness is preventing individuals from successfully logging into the new online tax platform, the Tax Administration Management Information System (TAMIS), she said.

The BRA recently extended the deadline to submit returns from April 30 to May 31.

“Earlier in the year, we initially encountered cases where employers were having challenges acquiring the new Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) from their clients and employees.

“However, as we go deeper into the filing season we are seeing so many situations with people who begin to file but then notice the absence of pre-filled employment figures in the income section of their 2018 tax return.

“We are therefore advising employers and other third-party providers to fulfill this pertinent obligation with great urgency.”