KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) is implementing several strategies to increase property-tax collections.

Speaking at the recent Local Governance conference in Montego Bay, Commissioner General at TAJ, Ainsley Powell, said a total of 17 programmes were developed and implemented covering registration, filing and payment compliance, audit, and taxpayer service and education.

“Those are some of the key things that we’re trying to do at TAJ to assist in how we get this partnership with local government, in order to meet the target,” Powell said pointing out that property-tax compliance for the first quarter of the 2018/2019 fiscal year showed that the strategies are working, and that the administration intends to do more to achieve the annual target of $10 billion.

Powell noted that for the April to June 2018 period, just over $3.7 billion was paid by property owners, which is slightly more than the $3.6 billion collected in the same period last year.

He also noted that there are established property-tax compliance teams working directly with local government officers to encourage more payments.

“The TAJ is also regularly reviewing its payment channels, and strengthening its online, in-line and mobile collection methods. Last year, property-tax collection came in at about 88 per cent of the overall $9.6-billion target,” Powell added.

The commissioner general said the drive is for the agency to become more efficient and effective in collecting revenue, enhance the level of voluntary compliance, and improve the quality of taxpayer services in Jamaica.