By AVA TURNQUEST
Tribune Chief Reporter
aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
CONSUMERS flooded social media this weekend with photos of receipts in a bid to query whether value added tax charged in stores across the country were legitimate.
Among the confusion was a complaint from several customers that a well-known chain of take-away restaurants had not only charged a higher rate of VAT than legally mandated, but was not on the government’s published lists of VAT registrants. The government implemented VAT at a rate of 7.5 per cent on January 1.
On a receipt dated January 3, one location charged a customer just over 11 per cent of their total bill. Attempts to reach a representative of that company were not successful up to press time. However, a local consumer action group has made a formal complaint against the company to the VAT Unit.
In another complaint that surfaced on January 3, customers at Imperial’s on Carmichael Road were charged 8 per cent on their food bills.
However, staff at the location yesterday confirmed that the overcharge was a technical error that was quickly corrected.
Yesterday, John Rolle, financial secretary in the Ministry of Finance, charged that each complaint will be investigated and encouraged consumers to make digital copies of their receipts.
Mr Rolle said he has received a lot of anecdotal complaints about the new tax, but could not provide an update over the number of formal claims until later this week.
“We will investigate all complaints against anyone charging VAT,” he said. “Persons can produce their receipt, then we have the justification to move against those businesses. No business that is not registered can issue a receipt showing VAT.”
Mr Rolle added: “The consumer has the right to request a receipt. They have a right to a receipt, that is something that can be reported because the TIN (tax identification number) should be on the receipt.”
Mr Rolle acknowledged that some businesses were still struggling to make the transition to the new tax, and had not yet made all the necessary adjustments. However, he maintained that the VAT department would remain vigilant and investigate all claims on a case-by-case basis. He called on businesses to display their TIN and VAT certification in a prominent place so that customers can readily identify their tax status.
“We’re going to be collecting receipts from the public to see if those businesses are compliant,” he said.
“Anyone who shopped at a business that is charging VAT, they should be getting a receipt that they can clearly read the TIN and check whether the business is registered.”
Mr Rolle said: “Businesses should take whatever steps you can take to let your customers know what your VAT status is. We are going to be following up. One of the exercises that people need to be very vigilant in is reading their receipts, and businesses also need to be vigilant because they are only going to be able to claim VAT back from other VAT registrants.”
Comments
ted4bz 9 years, 3 months ago
It is to bad that most of us are willing to give politicians the benifit of the doubt only to learn later that they were being dishonest all along.
I hope not to complain pointlessly, but it eludes my senses how some of us can be so upbeat or even optimistic about the positive intention of VAT.
We speak of VAT as if it is being delivered to us by a government who have always been effective, delivering opportunities and doing things properly. When did the change take place?
We have known nothing but a careless and reckless government giving us dynamic speeches and yet committing us to nothing but more and more burdensome responsibilities.
ted4bz 9 years, 3 months ago
VAT HAVE LIMIT THE ACCESS OF OUR DOLLAR
For one I believe that VAT (and high prices) is a sentence of one set of Bahamian people over (in favor for) another, the wealthy Bahamians.
So what am I saying? This rush to VAT is a security measure to protect the wealthy and their mountains of cash against the so claimed and not to save the Bahamian currency because some global agency threat, NO.
VAT will not save us from a downgrade but what it will do is stall time for the wealthy to protect them selves as they act to safeguard their millions to a more stable currency some where else. What else can explain the rush to VAT when in fact the country is ill prepared?
We do not have to wait for a downgrade or the failure of VAT to see the Bahamian currency downgraded by some global agency. Our politicians and their VAT and the high price programs did that for us already! Who can truly say that we own or have access to more than .80 cents on the dollar? We don't, and it could get worst than that.
As it stands right now we have already lost the value of our dollar, thanks to Mr Ingraham who set us up for VAT with is big spending programs that put nothing in our pockets and Mr Christie who serve us VAT and high prices.
Nothing is ever what politicians say it is. We are being used not helped.
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