Tax online service training for agents

A NEW tax system will be implemented to make business easy for the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS) and tax agents.

A statement from the FRCS said tax agents were looking forward to the taxpayer online service (TPOS) portal.

This is after tax agents attended a training session conducted by the FRCS in Suva last week.

Jaswant Kumar, who operates his tax firm Just Fiji, said the new online tax system would make their work easier and faster.

“We will be able to trace our returns and it will make things easier for us. It will make work easier for FRCS as well in terms of updating the returns and collecting revenue,” he said.

This sentiment was shared by Jerome Kado from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), who said the training was vital for tax agents.

“It is relevant and important that tax agents undergo the training,” he explained.

“You got to have quality inputs to get quality outputs, thus the training is critical.

“We need to ensure that the system works properly.

“As we move into the future, we have to move into adapting the latest technology if we are to properly function but ensuring that we have quality inputs,” he said.

He commended the efforts of the organisation in ensuring the smooth implementation of the online tax system and emphasised the need to get the system and framework right before going live.

According to FRCS chief executive officer Visvanath Das, the aim of the training is to educate the tax agents before the system went live.

“The training sessions with stakeholders are vital to ensure agents are well versed with the system.

“We also consult with them and take on board some of the suggestions for improvement,” he said.

The tax agents, however, were working closely with FRCS to make certain the framework and system was functional in a practical and efficient way.

As per the information in the statement, the training for Suva tax agents ended on Friday, which will be followed by training sessions in the West and North on November 18 and 19.

It was also stated the TPOS was a self-service online platform which made it easy for taxpayers to engage with FRCS as it was designed to allow taxpayers to experience as well as access the wide range of tax services in a more convenient way.

The services which were mentioned to be only being accessible by visiting the offices would now be available online.

These services included applications to register for a tax identification number (TIN), joint ID card, tax clearance certificates, filing tax returns, debt arrangements, etc.