Over 12,000 tax return forms haven't yet been processed

Sunday 22 October 2017

More than 20% of islanders' tax forms are still waiting to be processed, the Taxes Office have confirmed, saying they are approximately 14% behind where they would like to be.

They recently entered a three-year programme to move their services online and have more staff in training than in previous years, which caused some of the backlog.

The clarification comes after Islanders complained on social media about their tax return form being "later than it has ever been," despite submitting it in time. A spokesperson explained that the system works on a first come, first served basis, meaning that the earlier you complete your form the earlier you get a response.

While most islanders met the deadline, only 60% of islanders had submitted their form well before May. A quarter of all forms were received in the final week, with a further 10% submitted after the deadline. 

Each year, the Taxes Office sets 1 December as its target deadline and staff are currently working "extremely hard" to issue all bill assessments before then. While they admitted to a 14% backlog, the Taxes Office also said that processing rates vary weekly depending on the complexity of data on each return. 

Richard Summersgill, Comptroller of Taxes, rejected claims that the department had been hit by funding cuts. "We actually have additional funding to undertake a much needed three year tax office modernisation programme that we have begun groundwork on this year. The programme will run through to 2020 and transform the way we operate, with a new digital platform for revenue collection being a key part of the changes. The digital platform will manage all our revenue data and from the taxpayer’s perspective, enable online filing, and close the gap between ‘return submission’ and ‘bill production’ from months to minutes."

To replace the staff members who are currently dedicated to the modernisation project team, the department recently recruited staff to fill all the ‘business as usual’ roles. Mr Summersgill explained: "This does mean we have a higher number of staff in training than in previous years, which is contributing to our current slightly slower processing."

To address the issue, the tax office reduced the opening hours for the help desk over the summer so that staff resources could be directed to the annual tax return backlog. 

The department apologised for the inconvenience the processing time may cause to some people and said they take all complaints, whether addressed to them or not, seriously. Mr Summersgill added: "We ask the public for their patience, understanding and support over the remainder of this year and the next two years, whilst we work through a significant programme of change and continue to provide our current services.”