(February 10, 2020) In addition to the existing payment facilities in office, online and via wire transfer, the Barbados Revenue Authority now includes the Cave Shepherd Card Mobile App to its payment channels for land tax transactions. With the introduction of this new channel, property owners have a second option for paying land tax bills digitally.
Wayne Forde, Revenue Commissioner (ag), Barbados Revenue Authority, indicated that the idea is to ensure that taxpayers can pay their land tax bills with ease and convenience, without having to travel to an office to make a payment.
“This initiative was born out of the mandate to make doing business with government institutions easier for those persons who have to access the services. Government is spearheading the modernisation and digital transformation of the public sector and this is one aspect of how we are helping to fulfill that vision,” he explained.
“As an institution, we are working towards becoming more citizen-centric, by providing options which allow taxpayers to interact with our services at a time a place which is convenient to them. This initiative is a good example of private and public sector partnership towards facilitating ease and increasing efficiency in our operations. This is not the last you will be hearing from the Authority in this regard. Other plans in the works for us to further support Government’s modernisation and digital transformation vision across all taxes.”
Alison Browne-Ellis, Director, Cave Shepherd Card Services mirrored the Commissioner’s remarks around the introduction of the new method of digital payments for Land Tax purposes available to the Barbadian Public.
“We see the Cave Shepherd Card Mobile App partnership with the Barbados Revenue Authority as a step in the right direction, with the ability to reduce foot traffic and long wait times across the various offices, which continues to build a case for the future of digital payment collections across all government agencies.” Browne-Ellis stated. “Under this partnership our 35, 000 Cardholders can use their mobile phones or preferred devices from the comfort of their home or office, to initiate their Land Tax Bill payments using the “Send & Receive” feature. Additionally, a second payments option will be made available to our mutual customers during Phase 2 of the partnership, allowing Cardholders to make digital payments using QR code technology via tablets present. These two digital payment methods will allow for an enhanced customer experience, diversification of payment options and overall efficiency within the Barbados Revenue Authority.”