Yahneake Sterling and Susan Gordon, Gleaner Writers

A section of the crowd inside the Cross Roads, St. Andrew Tax Collectorate, where the new automated system failed, yesterday, forcing customers to wait in line for hours. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer

Tempers flared inside the Inland Revenue Department and Tax Collectorate at Cross Roads, St. Andrew, yesterday, after the online Automated Motor Vehicle System (AMVS), which promised a faster service, failed.

Introduced by the Government in February, the aim of the AMVS is to reduce the time it takes to process motor vehicle transfers and registration.

It was introduced at the Cross Roads office, last week Monday.

The new system creates two lines inside the tax office with one checking the information on both the certificate of fitness and the certificate of registration. Once the information is verified, and no signs of tampering are observed, the information is computerised, and the customer is sent to the other line to make payments.

However, this was not the case at the tax office, yesterday.

No fewer than one hundred persons were crammed inside the small building trying to get their motor vehicle registration processed, some for more than three hours. Only two cashiers were observed collecting money.

One customer told The Gleaner that he had been at the location since 9:00 a.m. but up to 1:10 p.m. when The Gleaner spoke with him, he was still waiting in line.

"I had to join one line to get a motor vehicle identification number, then I had to come and join a second line, just to get my motor vehicle registration and nobody told us anything about this," an angry Akeim Thomas said.

Other customers voiced their frustration stating that there was no adequate public education on the new changes and no one was on hand at the office to offer information.

"This is an utter nightmare," one customer said fanning herself in the sweltering heat.

When contacted, Leighton Beckles, public relations manager at the Commissioners Office at the Inland Revenue Department, explained that "because Cross Roads is a more convenient location, there is a lot of traffic, but the physical structure is small. We are asking persons to give their patience and understanding."

He added that plans were in place to put in more signs on the ground and make them clear enough for customers to understand the new process.

The Gleaner understands that the administrators are also looking at finding a much bigger space to rent in Kingston to accommodate the services now offered by the Cross Roads facility.