The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has launched its long-awaited electronic services (eServices) platform to enable taxpayers and companies to submit tax returns with the click of a button.
A release from the GRA yesterday said that the way was paved, following the amendment to Section 3 of the Income Tax Act Chapter 81:01 which gives jurisdiction to the Commissioner-General to “authorise the use of electronic technology” and also “require electronic, documents and electronic signatures.”
After signing up to enable user access, monthly and yearly Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Individual Income Tax, Corporation Tax, Individual Company and Property taxes, and Value Added Tax (VAT) returns can be filed electronically via the website https://eservices.gra.gov.gy. The release said that the launch comes at an opportune time as employers who are required to submit Employers Returns/Form 2 (a list of their employees’ names, payments, allowances and tax deductions) before February 28 can do so online and at the same time make use of a utility capable of converting the said content into accurately completed income tax returns for each employee in bulk “pdf” format. Employees can thereafter uplift the forms from their employers, include other sources of income, if any, append their signature and thereafter submit to the GRA using the drop box system.
Taxpayers in all categories, particularly individuals with multiple sources of income, those who have been approved for Mortgage Interest Relief and others who file returns of their own volition, are encouraged to sign up to eServices in order to file. Sensitisation sessions, the release said, have started to ensure employers are fully au-fait with this new approach to tax compliance.
The GRA will also be partnering with the E-Governance Unit to provide help to various taxpayers at Information Communication Technology (ICT) hubs across the country.
Taxpayers are being reminded that Income Tax Returns must be true and correct and to ensure that their emolument (7b) slips are attached and a current email address is provided when submitting. The GRA is also urging taxpayers to make use of the online fillable forms that are available on its website.
The filing of Income Tax is a requirement of Section 60 of the said Act which states that “Every person shall on or before the prescribed day in every year deliver to the Commissioner-General a true and correct return of the whole of his income from every source whatsoever for the year immediately preceding the year of assessment, and shall if absent from Guyana give the name and address of an agent residing therein.”
