PAYE as a final tax effective from 2013

Fiji’s Prime Minister, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama today announced Pay as You Earn (PAYE) as a final tax from next year to ensure taxpayers pay the correct tax.

He made the announcement during the 2013 National Budget Announcement at the Revenue and Customs Complex in Nasese, Suva.

FRCA chief executive Jitoko Tikolevu in a statement said “the main objective of the system is to ensure that taxpayers pay the correct tax and there is no refund or liability”.

Tikolevu said that taxpayers will still have to pay all other taxes despite the introduction of PAYE as final tax.

“While employees would still have to lodge their tax return form (Form S) in 2013 because of the 2012 income tax year, there will be no need to do so from 2014 however, exceptions are for those who received redundancy packages or received lump sum payments in 2013.

“They will still have to file their returns in 2014. All other types of tax returns such Form B (sole traders, partnerships), Form C (companies, partnerships, trusts or estates) and Form V (all types of businesses registered under VAT) will not be affected and should be lodged accordingly, “he said.

Employees are required to fill the Employee Tax Code Declaration Form by December 15 this year and requirements of the form include Tax Identification Number (TIN), personal details and a tax code indicating whether it’s taxpayers primary or secondary employment.

Tikolevu stressed that from 2013, taxpayers will not be able to claim any allowances such as child allowance, marital allowance, Fiji National Provident Fund, Insurance and Elderly dependents.

“For employees, who are earning other sources of income such as rental income will still be required to lodge an annual business return (Form B),” he said.

Tikolevu urged all employers to ensure they are deducting the correct amount of PAYE by making sure that all employees provide their Tax Code Declaration Form as well as their Tax Identification Number.

He reminded employers that one of the new requirements is the monthly submission of the Employer Monthly Schedule (EMS) to FRCA.

Tikolevu warned all employees to provide Tax Code Declaration or provide a TIN to avoid taxed at the maximum rate of 20 per cent.

By Lavenia Vuadreu