26 January 2018
More than 4,000 Islanders have submitted their 2017 returns, and the Taxes Office is advising taxpayers who want to receive their assessment earlier in the year to follow suit and file early. The Comptroller of Taxes, Richard Summersgill, is advising those who know their circumstances have changed, and are concerned that their tax assessment may also change, to file in February.
Mr Summersgill said “We know that some taxpayers want their bill as early as possible for budgeting purposes. We have cleared the few outstanding 2016 returns, and have started working through the 2017 returns that have been submitted.
“As we have already received more than 4,000 returns, we would advise those who want their bill early to file in February. By 2020 our new software will provide instant assessments for taxpayers who complete their returns online. For most, there will be no waiting time.
“In the meantime, while many of our most experienced staff are working on our transformation programme, it will, as usual, take all year to process the Island’s tax returns.”
In recent months, alongside the transformation programme, the Taxes Office has introduced a number of measures designed to increase efficiency and reduce the need for customers to visit the help desk. These include
- in April 2017, ‘how to’ videos were launched online to help customers with completing their return
- a ticket queue management service was introduced
- in November 2017, a new telephone call management system was introduced, which revealed an average call waiting time of 64 seconds, which is far less than social media commenters have estimated
Guidance on filling out tax returns is available at www.gov.je/incometax, where section-by-section instructions about the form have been added, and instructional videos are also available. Alternatively, taxpayers can call the income tax helpline on (01534) 440300.
gov.je