Statement from the Comptroller of Revenue

17 January 2020

The Comptroller of Revenue, Richard Summersgill, has issued the following statement:

There have been numerous comments in the media and social media suggesting that the new Revenue Jersey IT system is getting Islanders’ taxes wrong. I would like to clarify the facts.

While the new Revenue Management System experienced a number of glitches when it was rolled out, the system is calculating taxes correctly and is a vast improvement on the outdated systems that it replaced.

There are a few reasons why Islanders might think that their taxes are wrong, because they are different to what they expected, including:

• the new printed assessments generated by the new system are different to, and more detailed than, what Islanders are used to, and can be confusing. We are working to improve them so they are clearer and easier to understand 
• some of the Income Tax Instalment System (ITIS) data which employers and taxpayers have been sending to Revenue Jersey has errors in it, which the new system is picking up and reflecting in assessments. Examples include: 
• taxpayers who have not updated their circumstances in good time
• a taxpayer (and employer) who have used an effective rate issued in 2014, which they have not updated since
• taxpayers who have accrued arrears that they have not paid off, which the new system has picked up and included in the assessment.

I sincerely apologise for the delays in completing the 2018 assessments, and for the poor level of service we have been providing to Islanders, which has led to longer waiting times to speak to an adviser, both in person and on the phone.

Staffing levels and the implementation of the new system have had knock-on effects on our service, but we are doing everything we can to complete the 2018 assessments and get service levels back up to the standards that Islanders expect.

The launch of online filing later this month will significantly reduce the number of manual assessments we need to do, which will also help to improve services. I urge people to file online this year if they can.