Man from Baker Hill :
If you have problems with your income tax returns, I can help you.
This article should be rightly placed in the ‘Ad’ section of the newspaper, but that will not be wise; because it is much more than mere advertising of services. It includes a little bit of me as I sit and ponder.
I ponder… and I wonder what makes a people into a nation.
I wonder if, when and how Montserrat will begin the journey to maturity as a nation.
Yes I sit and ponder and I wonder. Sometimes all night long I ponder and wonder. I wonder about Montserrat and how I can help my people. Well, I mean…after all, I live here. So it must be about helping me too.
And I have concluded, after nights of pondering and wondering, that the journey to maturity as a nation begins with the teaching and understanding of a certain duty to our nation called Montserrat.
For my part, I believe that the journey towards national maturity is all about taxation. Yes, taxation from the cradle to the grave. And I suggest therefore that we must seek to understand taxation. We must teach taxation; and always practice fairness in the application of our system of tax laws, especially tax collection.
Before I get carried away, I remind you that this article is basically a want ad… offering my services to those ordinary persons who have income tax problems and who want help with their income tax returns.
Again, if you have problems, I will find a way to help.
And just in case you want to know why; it is because I am just a helpful man. I have capacity. I have ability. And I have experience at all levels of income taxation that pertains to Montserrat.
Now please read on.
I joined the Inland Revenue department as an experienced clerical officer in 1971. I received training from Mrs. Sylvia Dyer and Major General M. E.L. Husseiny of the department, after which the Comptroller Mr. Carey Thompson assigned to me the task of bringing the income tax file of every civil servant up to date; which I did.
The assignment was necessary because it was just a few years earlier, in 1968 to be exact, that Montserrat adopted the PAYE system of income taxation and the Comptroller wanted to set in motion a standard of timely assessments for the Inland Revenue department and the taxpayer.
I rejoined the Inland Revenue department in 1974, and was appointed an Inspector of Taxes. At that time my assignment was to work with every department of government and every private sector company (especially the contractors) to train and assist them with the PAYE system. And I did.
During the early 1990’s I was appointed a commissioner of income taxes and later became chairman of the commissioners.
Since 1975 I have offered my services selectively to persons who required help with their income tax returns. Additionally, over the years I wrote several articles in the Montserrat Reporter about taxation and tax reform. And as recent as 2007 I participated with Inland Revenue officials at ZJB radio in a panel discussion on taxation.
You can see that I have been involved with taxation for more than 40 years, always helping and educating my fellow Montserrations. And I know that many workers in the Inland Revenue department carried out their duties with distinction, educating and helping Montserratians.
But where did it go wrong? How was it possible for Montserratians to owe so much tax arrears? Did the politicians encourage non-compliance? What really happened? Is it too late for Montserratians to understand that taxation is the very essence of nationhood?
Could Montserrat ever mature as a nation unless we tackle the issues of taxation, tax collection and further tax forgiveness with serious intention? Will Montserratians ever understand that we must have a desire to continuously educate ourselves on all matters of taxation?
My desire is still to help. And as shown above, I have the wherewithal to do so. However, my heart goes out especially to the contractors who must have compliance certificates in order to qualify for government contracts.
That should have been all for now; in fact the foregoing was all I intended to write on the matter. But this morning on BBC radio, David Cameron pronounced that the whole world must begin to tackle the issues of taxation, especially tax avoidance. His comments resonated. And again I began to ponder… and wonder.
I shall now direct the remainder of this article to Governor Davis, the UK government’s representative on Montserrat.
Governor Davis, what is your story? Was Montserrat among those countries on the tax avoidance list? Is Montserrat tax system on your agenda? And by the way, did we achieve anything meaningful with the tax forgiveness program? Seriously, Governor Davis, what is the UK government’s tax agenda for Montserrat?
This much I will tell you Governor, ordinary Montserratians such as the petty contractors are weary and wary of the double standards surrounding tax collection. The truth is… their situation stinks; and in many cases only unconditional tax forgiveness can help them.
Governor Davis, most Montserratians want unconditional forgiveness of income tax arrears for everybody; after which they want to start with a new system of tax laws. We want to go back to the very beginning. We want to really understand the tax laws and reasons for them. We need to start from the very beginning – to learn how to fend for ourselves and to really learn the art of nation building.
And let me add this, in 2013 and beyond, Montserrat requires more than tax compliance certificates; Montserrat must educate its citizens on every aspect of our system of tax laws so that every voice will sing and shout about taxation. Every bartender must sing a song of taxation and every preacher must shout a sermon on taxation. Every classroom must resonate with stories and compositions on the history and purpose of taxation.
Governor, maybe Montserrat should be left alone … for awhile, with no income support from your UK Government. Then maybe… just maybe, we might begin the journey to maturity as a nation.
In the mean time Governor, while you ponder, I offer this ‘want ad’ to ordinary Montserratians. It is my contribution to the new beginning.
‘WANT AD’…if you have problems with your tax return, I will help you.
