Taxpayers incentivised to e-file
The incentive programme, which includes the waiving of penalties charged on tax accounts, covers the period since the launch of ITAS in January, until 30 June 2020.
The finance ministry will waive all outstanding taxes for taxpayers who register on the newly introduced Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS), which became operational in January. This system replaced the old method of manually filling in tax returns and dropping off these documents at Inland Revenue. “The overall objective of ITAS is to improve service delivery to taxpayers. The system provides many online benefits such as 24/7 real-time access to a taxpayer tax account, a taxpayer self-service facility, online filing of tax returns, a single-view of a taxpayer's account and, accelerated processing of tax forms with real-time notification on outcomes,” the ministry said.
The ministry's aim is to reach a target of 90% of the taxpayer population being registered as e-filers by June 2020. It would also like to see a shift from manual interaction between Inland Revenue and taxpayers to the continuous use of the online platform.
Reaching this target was necessary because the ministry may in future require taxpayers to file all tax returns electronically, without a manual filing option.
“Against, this background, the ministry is introducing an incentive programme in order to encourage taxpayers not only to register as e-filers, but also to continually use the online service,” the ministry said.
Taxpayers are therefore informed that the ministry is offering an incentive in the form of waiving penalties charged on tax accounts.
The incentive programme covers the period since the launch of ITAS until 30 June 2020.
“Taxpayers who have already registered as e-filers since the launch of ITAS also benefit from this incentive. Penalties for those without outstanding returns will be waived automatically, while those with outstanding returns must first electronically file them in order to qualify for the penalty waiver,” it said.
Updating tax accounts and the filing of tax returns through the ITAS portal expedites the processing of tax returns and taxpayer audits, thereby preventing delays in tax assessments and refunds. It also complements the ministry in its efforts to eliminate current and prevent future backlogs in respect of unprocessed tax returns.
“Taxpayers are therefore invited and urged to make use of this opportunity as soon as possible and are urged to contact the nearest tax office for assistance,” the ministry added.
STAFF REPORTER
The ministry's aim is to reach a target of 90% of the taxpayer population being registered as e-filers by June 2020. It would also like to see a shift from manual interaction between Inland Revenue and taxpayers to the continuous use of the online platform.
Reaching this target was necessary because the ministry may in future require taxpayers to file all tax returns electronically, without a manual filing option.
“Against, this background, the ministry is introducing an incentive programme in order to encourage taxpayers not only to register as e-filers, but also to continually use the online service,” the ministry said.
Taxpayers are therefore informed that the ministry is offering an incentive in the form of waiving penalties charged on tax accounts.
The incentive programme covers the period since the launch of ITAS until 30 June 2020.
“Taxpayers who have already registered as e-filers since the launch of ITAS also benefit from this incentive. Penalties for those without outstanding returns will be waived automatically, while those with outstanding returns must first electronically file them in order to qualify for the penalty waiver,” it said.
Updating tax accounts and the filing of tax returns through the ITAS portal expedites the processing of tax returns and taxpayer audits, thereby preventing delays in tax assessments and refunds. It also complements the ministry in its efforts to eliminate current and prevent future backlogs in respect of unprocessed tax returns.
“Taxpayers are therefore invited and urged to make use of this opportunity as soon as possible and are urged to contact the nearest tax office for assistance,” the ministry added.
STAFF REPORTER
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