Letter of the Day | Disabled community needs better customer service
Published:Thursday | January 16, 2025 | 12:09 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
I am a permanently disabled individual. As a member of the disabled community, I would like to express the difficulties I have been experiencing with applying for income tax refunds.
Section 12(y) of the Income Tax Act of Jamaica stipulates that any person suffering from a permanent physical or mental disability, but who is capable of being gainfully employed, be exempt from income tax on their emoluments.
I am not applying for an exemption at this moment, as on a recent visit to the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities on Ripon Road, I was advised that the process for tax exemption is being revised and therefore the application form was not available.
The Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) website refund page reflects that the TAJ has made provision for persons with disability to apply for income tax refund and has outlined the following requirements:
• Confirmed TRN;
• P24(s) for relevant years;
• A letter from the Ministry of Labour & Social Security stating that the individual is certified disabled;
• Completed IT05 forms for the relevant years.
I was informed that I should file the application online via the TAJ’s website. I attempted the process as a very tech-savvy individual and encountered numerous challenges. I therefore contacted the TAJ and was advised that I could visit any of the TAJ branches for assistance with applying for the funds.
I visited the Spanish Town branch; however, the representatives there were not aware of the fact that persons with disability could apply for refunds. They proceeded to share that I cannot get a refund if I was not overcharged. The interactions lasted a while before they decided to listen, and then enquire whether my request was possible.
The representatives later learnt it was possible and again advised me to do it online. I insisted that it was not intuitive and therefore I would appreciate some assistance. I was offered a seat while a representative proceeded to assist me with my query. Upon assisting me, the representative encountered several challenges and had to seek further assistance from several colleagues before getting the process completed, with multiple doubts about whether it had been done correctly or not.
REFUSED TO LISTEN
This year, January 14, I visited the Clarendon branch to apply for the 2024 refund and encountered the same problem. The representatives there were unaware of all that I mentioned. I have a left above-knee amputation which is clearly visible, which means it was obvious to onlookers that I was commuting on one leg with the assistance of two crutches.
Despite the situation, I had to stand for over three hours to be assisted. The assistance ended with a representative from the TAJ May Pen branch auditor department expressing that I would not be getting a refund.
I was also left nursing a pain in my foot due to the long standing.
All this because the representative refused to actively listen to all that I expressed about what I had done prior to my visit.
The practice of directing persons to utilise a self-service platform without proper instructions, or a team that is capable of providing adequate support, is inefficient and therefore causes frustration. We need better customer service. Staff members need to be trained on how to assist persons with disabilities. We cannot continue on this path of such poor customer service for 2025.
LARON WILLIAMSON