BVI News

Gov’t offers ‘grace period’ to delinquent taxpayers seeking to renew work permit

Legislators show off the new sign for the Department of Labour and Workforce Development.

Persons seeking to renew their work permit but are not up-to-date on their tax payments will now be granted a window of time to settle all outstanding balances.

This development comes roughly a month after Premier Andrew Fahie announced that expats renewing their work must first furnish the Labour Department with certificates of good standing from NHI, Social Security, and Inland Revenue.

Addressing a gathering of local business owners this week, Premier Andrew Fahie said: “We are going to have for the first year some grace periods to get it (tax payments) up to date because we understand how things have been going.”

He added: “We also have stipulations that if you come in as a student, then you are a student, you can’t change from a student to something else … so the expectations on the way in will be clear.”

In June, the Premier had said these new adjustments will provide greater protection for BVIslanders and Belongers in the local workforce.

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28 Comments

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  1. Hola! says:

    Deal with the employers if these people are employed, not the expat-employees.

    If expats are self employed, yes!

    Like 30
    Dislike 1
    • Umm says:

      Employers have their portion to pay, and employees have their portion to pay! You can’t deal with employers ONLY, the employee also has a right to make their contributions!

      Like 6
      Dislike 19
      • @Umm says:

        Employees pay NHI, SS and payroll taxes via a deduction system!! This means that their pay check amounts are received net in their hands or at their banks. The employers are mandated to turn over to NHI, SS and IR the amounts deducted from the employees gross salaries.

        Go learn the system before commenting.

        Like 44
        • @@Umm says:

          The truth is, many employers deduct the NHI, SS and other taxes and do not deposit them to the government, but keep them for themselves. That is a act.

          They know the system, and they abuse it because of pure greed.

          Like 27
          Dislike 1
          • Deductions says:

            Perhaps the Employers should have to provide certificates of good standing for Payroll Tax, NHI and SS to be able to renew their trade license!

            Like 24
    • Stealing says:

      Have the Belongers holding the expat work permits that are taking a third of their money pay the taxes. These people work and the only ones that benefit is the government and the Belongers. The audacity to bring up past slavery at every turn when that’s what the God fearing people of the Territory are doing. Keeping expats as slaves. You are all doomed

      Like 7
      Dislike 1
  2. Truth says:

    Why is the employee being punish for the boss es delinquence?

    Like 28
  3. Tis truth! says:

    Hola!! Employers play an important political role, don’t you know?

    They put in on one hand and take back with the other.

    Notice none is never penalized for depriving employees and government their just due?

    Like 25
  4. What? says:

    If the employers are taking the money from our salary why should there be a grace period? I don’t understand. That’s why employers are treating the employees bad because we have no one on our side. It’s really unfair

    Like 28
    • Agreed says:

      It is unfair. If employers make the deductions then THEY need to make the payments and be held accountable. Government needs to get on top of this. They either get the employer to confirm from the onset that they will deduct and make payments on behalf of the employee OR the employee confirms that they will do so on their own. Have it as an agreement where the tax authority can then refer to and go after the appropriate person.

      Like 13
  5. son of the soil says:

    Those self employed delinquents should be deported

    Like 8
    Dislike 8
  6. son of the soil says:

    Far too many low classed illiterates coming into the BVI. The BVI should not be the septic tank for the rest of the caribbean where all the schit and dregs settle.

    Like 10
    Dislike 9
    • @ son of soil says:

      You are out of order. If some of those illiterates as you call them weren’t let in, cousins and cousins would be having intercourse and making REAL illiterates cause BVI “indigenous” people are related someway/somehow. You all need to stop being so hateful in this place. We all have a judgment day, remember that.

      Like 17
      Dislike 9
    • Illiterate? says:

      The only illiterate are the offspring of the locals. You dropped the pass rate to 50% from a failing 69% and you dare to call expats illiterate. You are one dumba**

      Like 3
      Dislike 5
      • @ Illeterate says:

        Maybe you can read, write and complete a work permit application, but if you only knew the existing norm today, you would not be posting that unfactual statement.

        You are reponding from a position of ignorance and hatred.

        Relocate to the sun.

        Like 5
        Dislike 1
  7. &son of the soil says:

    Can’t you see is the expats come in your beautiful continent and cleaning up the s**t? Walk in the bvi for a day and you will see where the s**t coming from. If it wasn’t for the $US a lot of people wouldn’t even know about the bvi much more to come here. Is them walking around cleaning up the s**t, you out of order.

    Like 9
    Dislike 6
  8. Laughing says:

    This will never be put in place as there are far too many influential people involved in treating people like dogs in this place. By next year they will either hope we forgot about this or they will come with some other watered down rules.

  9. What!!!! says:

    Unless a work permit holder is self employed the responsibility for tax,n.h.i.,s.s., payments are with the employer I hope it is not only the employee who has to pay up but also the employer who also have their share to pay.

  10. Be real.. says:

    Many of those work permit holders work multiple jobs.

    Like 5
    Dislike 1
    • Be real... says:

      So what. Regardless you don’t have to start throwing shade.If the S**t don’t have anything to do with you and it is not affecting you, you stay up out of that S**t. Hey, we all got to grind to make our coins/Benjamin’s right?

  11. Sigh says:

    Can you people ever stick to the NEWS?? All this set of senseless bashing!! stupes

    Like 4
    Dislike 1
  12. hmmm says:

    smh alyo have sympathy for person who so want right and bragging they paying their taxes yet still them stuff not uptodate really??? many refused to dont pay many here 3 and 4 years and since NHI they never pay.. many never pay Social security and you guys have petty them smh.

    Let them pay them taxes b4 renew…nonsense let them keep going time till uptodate n get back permit

  13. Charnele says:

    Alot of these employers have been getting away with this for a long time, why give them Grace period. The employees are not be be held responsible for the employers not paying their taxes when it shows on their pay stubs that these deductions are taken out from their salaries. Shame and disgrace. This behavior will not stop put the employers in jail.

  14. Ausar says:

    Well, Premier Fahie, instead of issuing punitive measures to the expat workers who are delinquent,how about having those workers list their employers, and the government prosecute them instead,to the fullest extent of the law?

    IT’S ASSANINE TO JUST PURSUE
    WORKERS AND NOT THEIR EMPLOYERS!

    Lets place the blame and the punishment where it truly belongs!

    Like 11
  15. zabat says:

    This is just a way to force some of us out of here.The Social Security board is a corrupt organization that work with these corrupt employers who rob us from time to time. I know for sure that in my case,i would simply have to leave. When the time comes i will be ready leave because i know my boss can never pay off those bad debts.

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