The Charles Bartlett Hyde Building known as the Complex building was teeming with activity on Monday and Tuesday of this week as the three main tax collectors in the country pulled out their information sheets, pamphlets and brochures to share with the public.
According to the Income Tax Department’s Lisa Mayen, the purpose of the exercise is a collaborative effort between the Customs Department, the Income Tax Department and the General Sales Tax Department to show the public what their taxes are used for. She says people are more inclined to pay their taxes if they know what their money is being used for. She said that those purposes range from healthcare to education to infrastructure and other uses.
Customs officer, Dianna Palacio said that an exercise like the tax fair gives her department an opportunity to educate the public, especially children about the role that the Customs plays. She added that this department collects in excess of 50 percent of taxes in the country and it is appropriate for that to be highlighted. More than just plain facts, the department also displayed the various tools that investigation and enforcement units of the department use in combating smuggling and other illegal activity. There were also a host of informative brochures and pamphlets on the department.
As for the GST Department’s Gale Garcia, the exercise was one where the department was able to answer often asked questions from the public regarding the roles of the department. Based on the amount of literature available, that was definitely accomplished.
The tax fair is an annual event.
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