1) of the VAT due dates (mainly to those registered persons who are constantly late in filing their VAT returns);
2) after the due date to lodge their VAT returns and pay the outstanding VAT (if they have not done so);
3) of their long outstanding VAT returns and VAT debts.
The aim of the outbound calls in particular is to remind registered persons of the outstanding returns they have not filed at the due date and ensure that these businesses come forward to file and pay as obliged.
This initiative is taken by the VAT Office as a preventive measure to assist registered persons to comply and at the same time addressing the issue of non-compliance. The objective is to ensure that registered person make all necessary effort to submit and pay on time their monthly or quarterly VAT returns as required by law and also to avoid un-necessary penalties being imposed.
In addressing the level of compliance risks at an early stage, the VAT Office is taking the right from the start approach in addressing early, its young VAT debts from growing.
The VAT Office encourages registered persons to ensure that their contact details especially phone numbers, emails and so forth are correctly registered. The VAT Office would also like to advise all registered persons to check their contact details with the VAT team.
The first initial phase of this outbound call is to target the first 1-30 days outstanding returns. This means that for those registered person who did not submit their returns in a prescribed form by the due date, (the due date for filing a return is set by section 16 and is usually the 27th day of the month following the end of the taxable (return) period, unless that day is not a working day in which case the return must be furnished by the working day which immediately succeeds the 27th day); calls will be expected from the VAT Office reminding them to come forward and submit their VAT returns and pay as obliged to do so.
The VAT Office is reminding all registered persons that starting from the 28th of September, 2015 the VAT Office will implement this initial phase and registered persons who fail to submit their returns after the due date will receive calls from the VAT Office.
The VAT Office is strongly committed in ensuring that non-compliances will be dealt with in accordance to the VAT legislation if they fail to comply.
In the initial phase of this initiative the VAT Office is employing the PARE model of tax system. The Pare Model stands for Prevent, Assist, Recover and Enforce. Our first step is to try and prevent you as a registered person to not go into debt.
Therefore this initiative from the VAT Office is to help registered persons not to enter into debt at the early stage due to negligence, forgetfulness and or being lazy for whatever reasons.
The VAT Office is reminding all registered persons that this initiative is designed to provide prevention and assistance to registered persons, however registered persons should by now know their VAT return lodgments and VAT payment obligations and must not solely depend on the VAT Office to remind them of these obligations.
For more information on any of our articles published in our weekly column, please contact the VAT Office by phone: 00678 24573 or email us.
