Acting Commissioner of Inland Revenue Sylvia Moses says one of the objectives of the education programme is to help the department improve its revenue collection. Moses however pointed out that the wider aim is to explain the recent changes made to some of the BVI’s tax laws.

These include the Payroll Taxes Amendment Act 2005, the Miscellaneous Amendments Standard Integrated Government Tax Administration (SIGTAS) Act 2005, and the Statutory Rates, Fees and Charges Act 2005.

As part of the education programme, the department will host media briefings, appear on radio and television programmes and publish several brochures to explain the changes. The possibility of conducting workshops to explain some of the laws will also be explored.

Moses says this is all being done to make the people of the Territory more aware of what their obligations are to the Government.

“Taxation is central to the way Government operates and it is important to our continued development," Moses said. She added that some of the changes became necessary as a result of the requirements of the international community.