(Jamaica Gleaner) Montego Bay resident Kimberly Curtis is desperate for answers as to how her taxpayer registration number (TRN) was used to import goods for commercial use without her knowledge.
Curtis, a 29-year-old customer service representative, thought it was a prank when she received a call from a Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) compliance officer on September 17, advising her that she owed the Government taxes for goods she imported in commercial quantities in 2017.
“When I got the call, I was shocked. I thought it was a joke,” Curtis told The Sunday Gleaner. “I have never imported anything, never used online shopping, and I have never travelled outside of Jamaica. I do not even have a passport.
“Even now I think about how insistent they have been as if they want me to admit to something that I don’t know about, and to make matters worse, no one was willing to tell me what I was supposed to have imported,” she said.
According to Curtis, the compliance officer advised her to submit a letter to the TAJ declaring that she did not import the goods, which she thought would be enough to resolve the issue, but she was then directed to visit the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA), where her documents would have been tendered to facilitate the importation.
“Jamaica Customs confirmed that my TRN was used for the transaction, but said that they are not the ones to give me anything to take to the police, and tax office is telling me that they cannot give out taxpayers’ information, even though it is my information needed to clear my name,” a distraught Curtis lamented.
PRESS FOR CLARIFICATION
On her next visit to the tax office, she was told that the matter was being discussed with the TAJ’s legal team and was advised to wait until she was contacted. After waiting several days, a frustrated Curtis decided to press for clarification and was subsequently given the contact for the attorney.
During a recorded conversation shared with The Sunday Gleaner, a female, who identified herself as attorney-at-law Janet Scotland, told Curtis that her taxpayer’s information can only be given out when ordered by the Government, but promised to speak with the director in charge of the Montego Bay operation to see if “he can give you something in writing”.
“I decided to record the conversation because I was fearful and I know that it is my word against theirs, if it comes to that,” she explained. “At present, I am afraid to do anything that has to do any form of business that requires the use of my TRN. This is frightening.”
Claudette Coombs, senior director of western and Montego Bay operations at the JCA, told The Sunday Gleaner that the sole use of a TRN would be to facilitate transactions, but referred our news team to the agency’s communications unit for further comments.
Although efforts to contact public relations head Patricka Wiggan-Chambers were unsuccessful, The Sunday Gleaner has learnt that there have been a number of similar incidents in recent times.
When the TAJ compliance officer Hillary Manderson was contacted, she advised that the legal representative – Janet Scotland – was the appropriate person to speak with. Several attempts to reach the attorney proved futile.
Since then, Curtis has been served with a notice to make a return within 15 days.
“It was first me importing goods, now they want me to do tax returns in 15 days or face prosecution, so what about the goods that I am supposed to have imported to Jamaica in 2017?” she asked.
Meris Haughton, chief corporate communications officer at the TAJ, did not disclose the number of such cases over the past five years when asked by The Sunday Gleaner, but insisted that the TAJ would assist the police during any investigation.
“TAJ has no evidence of the TRN system being compromised,” she said.
Haughton said that a notice to make a return would have been issued as part of normal procedures, but said that all compliance activities regarding Curtis been suspended while the matter is investigated.
NIDS CASE STRENGTHENED
Financial analyst Ralston Hyman believes the potentially compromised TRN system strengthens the Government’s case for the National Identification System (NIDS).
“It is clear that the TRN system is compromised because if she has never imported anything and somebody used her TRN to import, it tells you that the system is compromised,” Hyman said on Friday. “That is why a proper National Identification System is so important.
“NIDS must be on top of the shelf, but it must be done the right way,” Hyman said. “The rights of the people must be respected. It should not be done in a way to force you or penalise you.”
A Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) study made public last week has found that an estimated 200,000 Jamaicans, or nearly one in 10 Jamaicans above 18 years old, do not have proof of legal identity, and that only 25 per cent of the adult population had a valid driver’s licence. The report further unearthed that 43 per cent of the population had a valid electoral ID and 56 per cent possessed valid passports.
It was also disclosed that annually, state agencies recover a trove of fraudulent documents, including birth certificates, TRNs and passports.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has indicated his intention for NIDS to be passed into law by year end, pledging to put in place the legislative, technological, and independent oversight mechanisms to ensure that the rights of citizens are protected.