Dear Claudienne,I am a Jamaican and I have migrated to the United States. However, since I still have business ties in the island I sent my sister a letter stating that I am giving her authority to conduct business on my behalf, which includes the selling of my car.

When she took the letter to Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) they said that the format of the letter is not what they are looking for.

I went on the TAJ website to see if there is a sample of a letter but there is none.

Could you please check with the TAJ for me to see how I must write the letter?

ES

Dear ES ,

I asked TAJ for clarification on its authorisation letter requirements.

The TAJ e-mail response is as follows:

“Re: Matter concerning authorisation letter from ES

Tax Administration Jamaica has taken note of the letter written to you by a client of our organisation concerning a letter of authorisation that was not accepted by us for processing. We take this opportunity to reiterate our commitment to our clients and their business.

ES, based on the information supplied by you, sent a letter to one of our offices requesting that we process an authorisation letter in which she asked her sister to sell her vehicle on her behalf. This type of transaction is not unique to Tax Administration Jamaica, in fact, we process these types of requests frequently and so we have standardised the requirements necessary for processing such documents.

An authorisation letter that confers a power on an individual to carry out a specific act is almost always treated as a power of attorney. This letter of authorisation is not for the mere collection of documents from our offices. It is actually conferring a power to ES’ sister to carry out the act of selling her vehicle, which involves the signing of documents to further the transfer of the vehicle to the potential transferee or purchaser. A great risk presents itself when Tax Administration Jamaica facilitates such requests. Hence, the need for safeguards to reduce the likelihood of fraud.

The safeguards which we have put in place for authorisation letters/powers of attorney for motor vehicles are as follows:

(1) The document must be specific as to the type of transaction that is to be facilitated. In this case, ES would have to indicate in the letter that she is giving her sister the authority to sell her vehicle on her behalf.

(2) Secondly, ES would also have to indicate the particulars of the vehicle to include the type, model, year, and chassis number.

(3) Thirdly, this letter should clearly identify the individual that is to carry out the transaction on ES’ behalf to include their full name and address, their identification may also be mentioned in the letter.

(4) The person who is authorised must therefore bring along their identification, recognised to be either a passport or driver’s licence.

(5) Since this letter has originated overseas it is expected that it will be notarised by a notary public whose commission has not expired, who would be attesting to the fact that the document has been executed by ES and that she is actually the person before him/her. A copy of ES’ identification should also be notarised and attached to the letter, preferably notarised by the same notary public that notarised the letter.

(6) Finally, for this document to have legal effect it must be stamped by the Stamp Office and recorded by the Island Records Office by the keeper or deputy keeper of the records.

Once these requirements have been met, Tax Administration Jamaica should process this request unless the administration is not satisfied as to the authenticity of the documents submitted.

We do hope that ES will apprise herself with the requirements as outlined, and we do look forward to facilitating her request as soon as her letter is resubmitted.”

Teacher pension query

Dear Claudienne,I am a retired teacher and I taught at a high school in the parish of Hanover. My retirement came into effect on May 24, 2019. After waiting for a very long time I was finally called to the Ministry of Education to sign off on the documents on June 30, 2020.

I was told that it would take four to six weeks for me to hear from the Ministry of Finance. It is now almost the end of October and I have not heard anything from them. I would appreciate if you could look into this for me.

SJ

Dear SJ,

An e-mail from the Pensions Unit of the Ministry of Finance explained to Tell Claudienne why there has been a delay in the processing of your pension. The e-mail dated Tuesday, October 27, 2020, stated the following:

“The processing of her file is delayed because the ministry had to seek clarification from the Ministry of Education regarding an aspect of her employment. The clarification was provided. The advance payment was recently approved and the letter to the Accountant General’s Department (AGD) authorising payment is now being prepared. We hope to have same dispatched to the AGD by Thursday, October 30, 2020.”

Please check with the AGD.

We wish you all the best.

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company? Telephone 936-9436 or cell # 876-484-1349 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. Please include a contact phone number.