HUNDREDS OF people are continuing to evade the tax net, despite a soon-to-end yearlong, two-tiered amnesty and increased collec-tion efforts.

However, the Tax Administration Department (TAD) says it is recording some success in its efforts to catch some tax cheats, while others have been voluntarily complying.

The TAD is also getting more assistance from members of the public, fed up with friends and acquaintances who are enjoying the country's social services while avoiding the tax net.

"We are getting a lot of third-party information. People are just calling in to say, 'You know what? This person is not paying his taxes; he needs to pay his taxes!" Viralee Latibeaudiere, director general of tax administration, told a Gleaner Editors' Forum at the newspaper's North Street, cen-tral Kingston offices yesterday.

Last year, the TAD sent out 40,600 letters to people on the tax roll who did not file an income tax return. In addition, 10,000 people not on the tax roll were sent assessment letters totalling approximately $7 billion in unpaid taxes.

Already this year, 33,584 letters have been sent to people who did not file tax returns, while 6,500 suspected tax dodgers have been served with assessment letters.

"(This year) we have targeted about 12,000 persons not on the tax roll with a focus on exporters, doctors, custom brokers, contractors, entertainers, sports personalities and some other ad hoc groups," Ainsley Powell, commissioner of the Taxpayer Audit and Assessment Department, said during the forum.

"We will identify third-party source information and we will use it to validate returns that are filed because we get a lot of under-filing," Powell added.

The TAD has also put other measures in place to capture the thousands of tax dodgers.

These include a Forensic Data-mining Intelligence Unit (FDIU), which is mandated to merge various databases across government agencies and the private sector to profile potential taxpayers.

"So that we can find those persons who are under-reporting, those persons who are outside of the net and find new tax payers to broaden the base," said Latibeaudiere.

She said that if the FDIU identifies the tax dodgers but fails to get them to pay up, the case is turned over to the TAD's High Intensity Team.

"That team will take you through the courts and will take all the measures to ensure than you pay," added Latibeaudiere.

However, if that fails, the TAD turns the matter over to its Special Enforcement Team.

"When that team comes they are dumb and deaf. They come to take what you have. That team goes around with a bailiff and will take any assets that is on the compound. The collection law allows them to take any asset they find," Latibeaudiere warned.

Those assets are then auctioned to pay the taxes and, if the money recovered is not enough, the TAD has the option of winding up the company.

However, this is an option not usually implemented, as the aim is to collect the outstanding taxes.

Amnesty ends

Powell

Tax dodgers have two more days to take advantage of the Government's amnesty under the Voluntary Compliance Programme.

Under this amnesty, persons operating outside of the tax net are encouraged to voluntarily register, file tax returns and pay any outstanding amounts for the years 2008 and 2009.

Tax dodgers caught after the amnesty can be assessed for the past six years.