Less than two months after a Religious Liberty Summit was held on January 30, concerns are being raised about the potential impact on such rights after an announcement by Minister of Finance and the Public Service Fayval Williams that select Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) offices are to open on Saturdays in all parishes across the island.
In a statement, Nigel Coke, the public affairs and religious liberty director of the Jamaica Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, while supporting the change, sought to remind the ministry that the rights of Sabbath keepers must be respected.
“We support the Government’s drive to improve tax collection,” said Coke, who also serves as secretary general of the National Religious Liberty Association.
“We are also cognisant that among workers in government are those who worship on the Sabbath, hence the concern that, coming out of our recent summit and the commitment of the Government to uphold the Constitution on religious freedom, Sabbath-keepers are not forced to work against their freedom of conscience and beliefs.”
Coke added: “We hope that good sense will prevail among the management of these TAJ offices regarding workers’ religious freedom in this worthwhile effort. We commend the Government for using alternative methods to improve much-needed revenue collection.”
Opening the 2025-2026 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Williams said the move was aimed at improving taxpayer convenience and boosting revenue collection.
TAJ currently provides weekend services every last Saturday of the month at selected locations.
EASIER FOR TAX PAYMENTS
“We will announce those dates as those offices are open in every parish across Jamaica … . We should make it as easy as possible for Jamaicans to pay their taxes,” she said.
Noting that while approximately 80 per cent of revenues collected by the TAJ is from online services, she said the initiative is expected to provide taxpayers greater flexibility and accessibility to tax services.
“While we strongly encourage the use of our online access, we recognise that it takes time to transition some people to the online world. And so I asked the Commissioner of Taxes to have a tax office opened in every parish on a Saturday to ease the congestion in the week to make it easier,” the finance minister said.
By extending operating hours to include Saturdays, TAJ aims to provide taxpayers with flexible hours to access tax services and reduce wait time.
The introduction of Saturday operations is expected to boost revenue collections as taxpayers will have more opportunities to conduct their business transactions.
The decision to open tax offices on Saturdays was made in response to feedback from taxpayers who have been requesting flexible hours.
“We are a Government that listens. We are a Government that cares, and having a tax office that is open in every parish on a Saturday is good news,” Williams said.
The original article was posted at the Jamaica Gleaner.
1 comments
Instead of closing the offices at 3:00pm the hours could be extended to 6:00pm. Extended hours during the Tax collection period, could achieve the same goal and provide options for the staff as well as the public.
Respectfully
J,G.