THE TRAINING Branch of the Tax Administration Services Department (TASD) now occupies a new home. The approximately 700 sq. metres facility is located on the sixth floor of the Office Centre Building, Ocean Boulevard, Kingston.
According to a release from the Tax Administration Services Department, the new training branch boasts three training rooms, a computer lab, a library with audio/visual equipment and a canteen. The branch also has a production room from which training material may be produced.
In pointing to the importance of training for all categories of staff including the Tax Commissioners, Director General for Tax Administration, Clive Nicholas said that, "unless there is efficient and courteous staff to support whatever modern system we introduce, taxpayers who are our customers, cannot get the services in the manner they deserve."
In order to develop the necessary skills and expertise for the full implementation of the Tax Administration Reform Project (TAXARP), a comprehensive training programme has been undertaken by the Training Unit of Tax Administration Services Department.
The training involves upgrading knowledge and skills and improving attitudes, aimed at bringing about changes in the behaviour of staff so as to enable them to provide service in an efficient, courteous and effective manner.
One of the most important training programmes is the training of staff for the Integrated Computerised Tax Administration System (ICTAS) to link all the revenue services. This will considerably expedite service to taxpayers.
Another valuable training programme is that for cashiers. The programmes involved a complete set of mock documents and money at the location where newly-appointed cahiers would be working. The result in each case was that cashiers were fully functional at start-up, needing very little hands-on support. This led to minimal crowding of taxpayers at the introduction of the automated system at the Revenue Service Centres at Montego Bay and Spanish Town. So successful was the training that the model is being used for other cashier training.
The training of tax auditors in several areas followed by fieldwork also brought good results as the initial effort yielded $9m in Kingston, $2m in Montego Bay and $647,000 in Mandeville.
The Revenue Agents Training Programme which was also introduced 11 years ago has produced hundreds of all-round revenue agents equipped to meet the needs of taxpayers in multiple tax matters. This programme is continuing.
"A vital component of the training programme was the development of a corps of trained trainers from among the staff of the revenue agencies," said Miss Sadie Fraser, TAXARP Training Specialist attached to the Training Unit of Tax Administration. "In the technical areas, for example, there is no need to bring in trainers from outside for we have a corps of trained trainers who in addition to their technical knowledge, have the necessary techniques to enhance the training," she said.
The training programme is comprehensive; it ranges from Tax Laws and Regulations; Basic Accounting, Taxpayer Service; Basic Computer skills; Supervisory Management, Training of Traines, PAYE Audit, Advanced Training of Trainers; Advanced Information System; Audit Techniques, Tax Laws, Principles and Practice; Strategic Planning for Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners and Planners; Integrated Computer Tax Administration Service Training of Trainers.
The training is done at a number of Revenue Service Centres and Collectorates including Kingston, St. Andrew, Montego Bay, Mandeville and Spanish Town and involved 1,154 revenue staff between January last year and June this year.
Mr. Nicholas said, "Revenue services can no longer operate as in the past. People do not have a lot of time to carry out their transactions at revenue offices and government needs the revenue as quickly as possible to provide a variety of services to the public. This means that we have to treat a taxpayer as a valued customer, even more so than the private sector."
