Dear Claudienne

Are you aware that removing a car licence sticker now voids it?

On Monday January 26, my son put the licence sticker on my windscreen, and it was a bit askew. As he has done in the past, he removed the sticker to straighten it, and then suddenly the disc had VOID stamped all over it! He returned immediately to the tax office, and was told to complete a form. To replace the licence will cost $500.

I called Inland Revenue and was told that this practice was introduced last year, but no one could tell me how the public is supposed to know.

The back of the sticker does not carry this important piece of information, and there are no signs in the tax office to warn the public.

The government clearly needs to collect all the taxes it can, but this feels like extortion to me. What do you think?

YS

Dear YS

The Inland Revenue Department said that the security feature that voided the motor vehicle licence disc (stickers) was introduced in the middle of last year. Once it is affixed to the windscreen and an attempt is made to remove it then becomes void.

Prior to the introduction of the security feature, there was a public education campaign, Inland Revenue explained to Tell Claudienne. The campaign took the form of advertisements and press releases in the print and electronic media. Notices were also prominently placed in all Inland Revenue offices and on the Tax Administration website.

The notice at the Inland Revenue offices stated in part:

“Motorists are advised that an additional security feature has been added to the motor vehicle licence disc.

Any attempt to remove the disc once it has been affixed to the windscreen will result in the word void appearing making the sticker invalid. Once the sticker becomes void it will have to be replaced at a cost of $500.”

The Inland Revenue said that its policy requires stress-testing of its systems to identify weak spots in their operations to determine how they may be compromised, resulting in loss of government revenue.

The spokesman said that prior to the introduction of the security feature, the department had also been aware of police investigations involving the motor vehicle stickers from time to time. He said that the word VOID on the sticker was a signal to the police that something was wrong.

Good luck.

Dear Claudienne

I applied to the Montego Bay office of the Registrar General’s Department for my birth certificate and was given a late entry of name form to complete. I completed the form and took in the documents that the RGD had requested. I was told that my mother had to sign the form. However, the problem is that I do not know where to find my mother. From the day she gave me to my grandmother I never saw her again and my grandmother is now dead.

What should I do?

TM

Dear TM

The Registrar General’s Department said that you should return to the Montego Bay branch office with the receipt. An agent will interview you and based on what you tell the agent you will be advised what to do, the RGD told Tell Claudienne.

Good luck.

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company? Telephone 511-2436 or write to: Tell Claudienne, c/o Sunday Finance Jamaica Observer, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail: edwardsc@jamaicaobserver.com