File Your 2014 Income Tax Return Online Now
With just under a week to go before April ends, those taxpayers who have not yet filed their income tax returns are being urged to do so now.
Communication Officer at the Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA), Erica Lazare, is encouraging all taxpayers, including those who have not yet received their refunds for 2013, to file before the end of the month and to also be aware that they do not have to go to the BRA’s offices if they are having problems accessing the system to file online.
“We do not want taxpayers to wait until the last minute to file their income tax returns. Persons may go to file and realise that they cannot remember their passwords and more importantly, the email address that they used last year.
“We want persons to know that they can easily get a new password by simply clicking the reset button but they must have access to the email address that they used when they filed in previous years in order to retrieve their new passwords. We are urging persons who cannot access the system due to this circumstance, to simply email us as soon as possible requesting for their email addresses to be updated so that they can file.”
To file online, persons should visit https://etax.bra.gov.bb and those who need assistance or additional information should email bramail@bra.gov.bb or call the BRA at 430-3101, 467-1100.
Ms. Lazare also wants the public to be aware that the Authority is still paying out 2013 refunds.
She stated: “The Barbados Revenue Authority has not stopped paying refunds since we started, so the process is ongoing. In fact, there has been no point in time when refunds were put on hold; once funds are made available, the payments are made.
“Taxpayers who have not received refunds should not let that be a hindrance to filing for 2014, because it is a separate income year and therefore the same laws apply. Taxpayers must file a return by Thursday, April 30, and failure to do so will incur a penalty of $500 for the late filing and five per cent of the tax assessed and unpaid.”
Ms. Lazare added that a penalty of five per cent or $10, whichever was greater, would also be applied for failure to pay the estimated tax by the deadline.
She reminded taxpayers that individuals are allowed a personal allowance of $25,000, while persons in receipt of pension income and over the age of 60 are entitled to claim an allowance of $40,000. She also noted that employed persons earning less than $25,000 are not required to file an income tax return.
Ms. Lazare shared that persons who did not have access to computers could use those at the various public library branches.