Adrian Loveridge – Owner of Peach & Quiet Hotel
Over the last twenty five years, I believe our small company has been a model corporate citizen on Barbados. We have no outstanding debt to either Government or the private sector, yet next week we will be forced to go cap-in-hand and beg our bankers for an overdraft facility.
Why, you may ask?
Simply to be able to cover our expenses, while we await several VAT refunds totalling over $32,000, which have been overdue for as long as two and a half years. We are told that all the claims have been approved, but are ‘warned’ not to call the VAT office, to chase when payment will be paid. Of course, we have tried to approach Government discreetly by writing to two Ministers with responsibility for either VAT or small businesses, but weeks later, neither have bothered to respond.
Related Links:
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Peach and Quiet:Small Businesses Should Have the Right to Offset
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Are VIPs Exempt From Paying VAT?
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Vat Recall
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VAT Thieves
Recently under a banner headline in one of the media outlets entitled ‘VAT Division not taking full blame’ VAT division Auditor, Ryan Wiltshire, attempted to spread the blame onto another Government department, stating ‘it was up to the Treasury’.
Frankly, we are not interested, as already it is a burden to prop up what is a clearly unsustainable huge civil service that has been completely isolated from the reality of operating in the real world of commerce. And it is almost adding insult to injury when you see Government workers driving around in taxpayer funded luxury SUV vehicles.
Rarely a week goes by without hearing one Minister of another spout the importance of supporting small businesses, which are deemed globally as the best vehicles for economic recovery and employment generation. Sadly, this appears only to be more political rhetoric and it is probably best to cease and desist at this time, as few out there believe you anymore.
Barbados Underground 
Carson C…………..i really don’t see where paying this guy his $30,000 in VAT is saying he is white and smarter than anyone……maybe the black business people who are currently owed VAT should come forward………….and this over and away thing……….if all the bajans are returned to Bim from US, Canada, Europe, there will be no room for them in Bim or you either…………..and you better be thanking over and away for the fact that you are able to eat right now.
Do we have an update on the appeal by Courts to the non paying of 25 million dollars in VAT levied?
Are appeals by customers posted publicly (Gazetted)?
That’s where i have a problem……..the government should be vigorously pursuing the companies who owe all this money in vat and taxes…….but they keep looking at the pennies these companies pay in salaries, most of them don’t even pay the employee’s NIS……………something is wrong.
@David
“Many large hotels received millions from government in relief and then still went out of business a couple years ago.”
Therefore , is it fair or honest for the BHTA members or those in the private sector to give the impression that nothing was done by this government to assist them?
Adria likes stats so this one is for him.
http://newsroom.bmo.com/press-releases/2013-bmo-spring-travel-survey-79-per-cent-of-cana-tsx-bmo-201303130859570001
What is the recourse for the average taxpayer who cannot get back his tax refund? I checked the status on my refund often and all it says is “pending”. How long am I going to have to wait? We are really too placid in Barbados!
@Hants
The Hamilton machine…?
David wrote “The Hamilton machine…?”
I have no idea what you are referring to.
Risk it at the forefront of every-business and using the argument that the cost-u- less did not perform as expected is frivolous .to counter that what if it had? the fact of the matter their is no guarnatee on how a business will perform on any given day .However the risk taken by those involved trumps doing nothing .
Prodigal……….hope you have time and is still around 20………….any event can pend into the next century.
Small Business Cannot Get Government to Pay VAT Refund After Two and Half Years?
Then dont pay any more VAT until you are even ? Send them showing the credit to give them until you get to zero.
The DLP and the BLP will spend your money before the write you a check ,
Adrian
This is from todays Nation
“NIS: Don’t wait too late!
THU, APRIL 18, 2013 – 12:12 AM
The National Insurance Department (NIS) has urged companies finding it difficult to pay contributions to discuss their challenges with the agency at an early stage.
NIS director Ian Carrington said yesterday it had observed that some companies were waiting until their problems with contributions became dire before addressing them.
He was speaking to the DAILY NATION after emerging from a meeting at Government’s Warrens office complex with Bajan Cleaning Enterprises at which an insolvency proposal from the company – which has debts of about $10 million, including $5.66 million to the NIS – was rejected by creditors in attendance.
“More frequently now, we are finding that companies are waiting until things get too dire to seek to address them. We advise if you are having a financial challenge paying your NIS contributions, come and sit down and discuss it with us because the NIS has absolutely no interest in putting people out of business or putting people out of work, because that is counterproductive.”
I am sure the Government the VAT folks to have absolutely no interest in putting people out of business or putting people out of work, because that is counterproductive.
As the Government seems to be having financial challenges and finding it difficult to pay VAT owing to you, you may want go in to sit down with the Comptroller, at the Value Added Tax Division, Third Floor, Weymouth Corporate Centre, Roebuck Street, St. Michael. to discuss their challenges at an early stage.
Or you may want to go the VAT Division’s Facebook page and chat with them there.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/VAT-Division-Customs-Excise-Dept-Barbados/156646557736966
According to the site. six people give the page a thumbs up – like it.
LOL
Not Taken,
Thank you. very interesting. How on earth did NIS allow debt to build up to $5.66 million? We have sat down with the VAT people and helped them correct the many mistakes on our account. They have admitted (in writing) that all claimed amounts are payable by them, but will not say when.
I will certainly follow your advice and try their FaceBook page.
Not Taken,
Must be doing something wrong. I cannot get onto their FaceBook page.
Agreed the question needs to be asked and answered why was such a significant debt allowed to accumulate to bajan cleaners. Doesn’t the NIS have an Inspectorate that is responsible to ensuring employers honour their obligations? What confidence can John citizen repose in a system when such obvious incompetence abounds?
And here it is we have Minister Inniss and government preaching business facilitation. Mind you this is a public sector culture which has spanned different governments.
David
What is worse than that is some years ago we had a british hotelier who ran up an enormous NIS bill fled the Island was taken into custody in Britain but released never to be heard of again. The NIS had ample time to endure that there was some threshold over which companies should not go. Furthermore some thing is wrong with their monitoring program if they have one.
lemuel,
British or German?
It should not make a difference WHAT nationality the person(s) is/are,
but the system of collection. It is absolutely clear from OUR experiences that either Politicians and/or Civil Servants have their favourites.
@lemuel and Adrian
Matthieson from Kings Beach hotel at the time.
Adrian
“Must be doing something wrong. I cannot get onto their FaceBook page”
What a surprise
Google – barbados value added tax division. First item is
VAT Division \Customs & Excise Dept\ Barbados | Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/…/VAT-Division…Barbados/1566465577…VAT Division \Customs & Excise Dept\ Barbados. 6 likes · 0 talking about this
Am I correct in assuming you have not signed on as a Facebook friend?
Adrian
How on earth did NIS allow debt to build up to $5.66 million?
Guess you could say NIS “got taken to the cleaners”
Where there is life, there is hope.
Received part payment of outstanding VAT refunds for several tax periods including half of what was due for August/September 2009.
3 years and 7 months to obtain a refund!