The Inland Revenue Department is preparing to launch a comprehensive rebranding campaign in its ongoing efforts to educate the British Virgin Islands community about the services offered by the department. This campaign is scheduled to begin September 1 until December 18.

On Tuesday, September 8, Commissioner of Inland Revenue, Mrs. Karen Smith-Aaron, Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Orris Thomas, and Assistant Commissioner, Mr. Charles Benjamin, will be featured on Spotlight which will be carried on JTV Channel 55 at 8:30 p.m.

In addition, the rebranding campaign is anticipated to provide information on the various taxes, licences and fees collected, and the due dates, as well as the importance of being up to date with payments.  It will be ongoing and will use different mediums such as community meetings, television programmes, radio talk shows, social media and newspaper articles.

Commissioner of Inland Revenue Department, Mrs. Karen Smith-Aaron said, “I am looking forward to the campaign, which is needed. We are aiming to educate the public, build relationships, and get the full cooperation from all stakeholders.

Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Orris Thomas, stated that the department hopes that through the campaign, stakeholders will cooperate and thus, have a better understanding of the taxes that are collected, and how they are used to build the Territory.

He said, “What we hope to achieve is greater voluntary compliance through the education campaign that we are launching.  If persons are aware of what their responsibilities are when it comes to the different legislations that we administer, we can only anticipate that voluntary compliance will increase and delinquency will be minimised. I hope that this objective is met, so members of the community can do what is required by law”.

Assistant Commissioner, Mr. Charles Benjamin, added that change is a significant part of the campaign, as the Department prepares to reveal its new logo.

He said, “We have started to rebrand. We have made some changes to our logo, and we intend to also get a uniform.  We hope that these new additions will be a positive influence to what we are trying to achieve and is welcomed by the community”.

The Inland Revenue Department is responsible for the collection of numerous taxes, licences and fees.  This department is headed by the Commissioner, and is comprised of units such as administration, assessment, collection, taxpayer services, valuation and audit.