Generic emails to save costs

The National Main Stories

THE Internal Revenue Commission (IRC) has initiated a generic emails messaging for tax payers which is expected to save IRC about K500,000 in mailing and associated costs.
Commissioner-general Sam Koim, in a paid advertisement on Friday, said more than 20,000 emails were sent to tax payers from the generic IRC email address.
Koim said the email contained a notice to the taxpayers of the tax administrative relief measures phase one and its attendant explanatory notes.
“Those who did not receive that email it means that you need to update your email address,” he said.
“Taxpayers are required to provide updated and current email and mobile phone details with IRC through the lodgment forms.”
Koim said ignorance would no longer be an excuse when it came to applying penalties for non-compliance.
“Annually, IRC spends about K500,000 on mailing and associate costs and this initiative is aimed at substantially reducing if not eliminating that cost,” he said.
“We have had instances where taxpayers complain that they had not received important tax notices and correspondences hence often request for leniency with penalties for non-compliance.
“We’ve also had instances where physical documents go missing.
“Physical storage space and effective document management has been an ongoing challenge for IRC.”
Koim said strategies were put in place under their 2020 annual plan for 2020 to address the challenges.

7 comments

  • In this time of hardships brought on by Covid-19, I guess IRC and it’s commissioner should be talking to the government to have some personal income tax relief measures in place for those of us still working. When will the government have leniency on the tax payers in this time of hardship? IRC and it’s commissioner general needs to look deep into tax collection systems and overhaul or even change policies to be citizen tax payer friendly, otherwise everyone will be forever glory-seeking with all the publicity stunts. Leaving income tax payer shouldering the burden as he has no choice.

  • You are all correct. PNG is one of the countries (if not, only) with the highest personal income tax rates in the world. With low salary, high living expenses/costs and high tax rates leave citizens very poor.

  • Please have some mercy on the working class. 30-40% personal income tax is way too high for the ordinary people who work hard to earn livings to support their families and relatives. If you’re getting 40%, I am left with 60%, this means mipla wok natin blo gavaman lo kisim bek moni. This is madness!

  • Mr. Koim, kindly revisit all private sectors and check their payroll system. Especially, how they are taxing their employees.

  • Please reduce Income Tax for employees still working during this COVID 19 pandemic period to possibly 20% or less. We have nothing to save for our future and our children’s future.

  • Mr.Koim, will the governmet stop taxing workers during this period of SOE, what is your advise to the PM in light of this?

Comments are closed.