FINANCIAL SECRETARY Colin Bullock says the Government plans to encourage voluntary tax compliance through public education and other measures.
He was, however, quick to point out that the laws would be enforced to ensure the collection of arrears.
Mr. Bullock made the announcement at last Friday's post-Budget press conference at the Ministry of Finance in Kingston.
"If that (voluntary compliance) doesn't work, there are powers of enforcement. You can have summons, court action; criminal cases can be brought against people for use of trust funds, pay as you earn (PAYE), National Housing Trust (NHT) or education tax," he explained.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Dr. Omar Davies said the Government would be targeting businesses which refuse to pay over general consumption tax (GCT) collected on behalf of the Government and outstanding PAYE.
He said that between November and March, the Government collected $5.6 billion dollars in tax arrears.
Dr. Davies also dismissed claims by the Opposition that the budget presented was not the real one.
