The Taxes Office has said it is 14 per cent behind where it would like to be at this time of the year but added that almost 80 per cent of forms had so far been completed.
The deadline for Islanders to submit their tax forms is the last day in May, and the Taxes Office said it received approximately 40 per cent of forms during the month, with 25 per cent of all forms being submitted in the final week.
A further 10% of returns were received after the deadline.
This year the office began a three-year programme to move its services online, and according to the department, because of this more staff are currently in training than in previous years, which has caused some of the current backlog.
A number of complaints have been made online about the current delay and the office has apologised for any inconvenience caused.
In a statement, Richard Summersgill, Comptroller of Taxes, said: ‘Of tax return forms received, we have completed 79 per cent of assessments. We are approximately 14 per cent behind where we would like to be, but processing rates can vary weekly depending on the complexity of data on each return.
‘Staff are working extremely hard to meet the usual 1 December deadline.’
The three-year modernisation programme will run until 2020 and a new digital platform will manage all revenue data and enable online filing, as well as close the gap between ‘return submission’ and ‘bill production’ from months to minutes. The office has received extra funding to complete the programme.
Mr Summersgill added: ‘We ask the public for their patience, understanding and support over the remainder of this year and the next two years, whilst we work through a significant programme of change and continue to provide our current services as best we can. We have just completed a recruitment drive to replace staff who have moved into the transformation project team, but this does mean we have a higher number of staff in training than in previous years, which is contributing to our current slightly slower processing.
‘All our staff are acutely aware the service we can currently offer is way below the digitally enabled standards that customers encounter in other spheres of life.’
For further information email jerseytax@gov.je, or phone 440300, or visit the Taxes Office at Cyril Le Marquand House.
