On Tuesday, November 27th, representatives of the Inland Revenue Department conducted a forum to keep construction workers abreast of the rules and regulations that govern their profession, especially with regard to their responsibilities to the Inland Revenue Department (IRD). A small cross-section of contractors and construction related entities attended.
The forum addressed such concerns as business licenses and license renewal; applicable taxes for the construction sector; registration and the filing process; the procurement process; certificate of good standing; the power of inspection and notification of business closures.
Following the forum, Ms. Keischa Brooks, Assistant Comptroller for Taxpayer Services, spoke to The Anguillian: “This workshop this morning was for the purpose of providing construction workers with information regarding their requirements and the taxes that are relevant to them — ensuring that they are compliant with the IRD regulations that are meant to govern and direct their businesses.”
One of the major points of the presentation focused on the matter of procurement. Ms. Brooks insisted: “The procurement process has to do with procedures to make sure that all contractors have a fair opportunity to engage in any jobs that are being offered by the government. It is a process whereby contactors can bid by completing an application form, which would make them eligible to be considered for any job which is to be carried out under the auspices of government.”
She continued: “The qualifications for ensuring that one can be considered to take part in the procurement process is first of all making sure that the applicant has a valid business license. Secondly, one must be up to date with all tax payments. Having taxes paid up to date will qualify the applicant for a Certificate of Good Standing. If one has outstanding unpaid taxes, he or she would not be able to qualify for a Certificate of Good Standing, thus that individual would not be able to be considered for the procurement or bidding process.”
The contractors in attendance at the forum were quite engaging. They asked several questions and made pertinent comments. The IRD personnel were quite appreciative of the interaction.
