JAMAICANS' reputation for last-minute responses to pressing matters came to the fore yesterday as hundreds of taxpayers crowded the three Inland Revenue Department offices in Kingston and St Andrew in a bid to avoid penalties for missing yesterday's extended deadline for filing income tax returns.

"I have been here for about an hour," Marlene Powell, who works at a lawyer's office, told the Observer as she waited in the packed tax office on Constant Spring Road in St Andrew.

When asked why her employers waited until the last minute to file their returns, Powell said that she was unsure and was only carrying out the directives of her boss.

The March 15 deadline was extended to yesterday, given that the tax offices are normally closed on Saturdays. Yesterday,
in an obvious bid to accommodate the last-minute rush, the tax authorities extended the offices' opening time by an hour to 5:00 pm.
The crammed parking lot outside the Constant Spring Road office gave an indication of the number of persons that queued up inside. The main line that was dedicated to persons filing their returns stretched to the door and some persons complained about the long wait.

Ruth Francis, collector of taxes, told the Observer that it was customary for persons to wait until the last minute to file their returns.
"Things have been going smooth, but I guess that the crowd will pick up in the afternoon," she explained, adding that measures were put in place to accommodate a run on the tax office. "All (cashier) stations are being manned, and we also have officers at the back dealing with batch (more than one) submissions."

Additionally, Francis said taxpayers could have submitted their documents electronically as well as in drop boxes at the tax office.
While there were fewer persons at the smaller Cross Roads Inland Revenue Department, it was packed nonetheless.

"Things are going wonderfully," Clive Segree, principal collector, said. "Persons have been coming in, but I think the build-up will start at about 1:00 pm."
Segree also told the Observer that a tent and extra seating were put in place at the back of the building to accommodate more persons who were expected to show up late yesterday afternoon.
However, he pointed out that there were more people at the tax office last week compared to yesterday morning.

A woman who was in line said she had been waiting for 15 minutes, but she bemoaned the fact that she had already made several trips to the tax office because the auditing firm she works for had clients who submitted their documents late.

"I just hope that I can get through today," she said, with a look of desperation.
When the Observer revisited the Cross Roads office yesterday evening, the tent was empty, but the lines inside had grown and waiting time was estimated at two-and-a-half hours.

The lines at the tax office on King Street in downtown Kingston were moderate, but there was no specific line for persons filing returns.
Leighton Beckless, public relations manager at that office, said a larger crowd was expected by yesterday evening. He also noted that additional staff had been mobilised to deal with the possible crowding.

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