PNG Postal Addresses of Taxpayers will be accessed by IRC

The Papua New Guinea Internal Revenue Commission has forged another strategic partnership with Post PNG to improve its compliance activities. The partnership was inked today through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Commissioner General, Sam Koim and Post PNG’s Chief Executive Officer, Peter Tepure at the IRC headquarters in Port Moresby. This MoU paves way for the IRC to gain access to taxpayers’ postal addresses and also monitor their movements. IRC is embarking on Taxpayer identification improvement project and this partnership will support it. 

The IRC has been faced with ongoing issues of non-receipt of IRC mails by taxpayers, constant change of addresses and locations by taxpayers and the failure to notify the IRC of taxpayers updated address for service. 

Duplicate usage of postal addresses by a lot of taxpayers was identified as the primary reason why IRC’s notices, correspondences, and court orders do not reach intended taxpayers. It has been observed that during TIN application, most taxpayers use a ‘c/. care of’  as their address for service. By paying little attention to this during the registration process, it has resulted in difficulties to confirm taxpayers’ static addresses and further difficulties in tracking IRC mails to intended recipients.   

“The partnership is aimed at reducing such elusive behavior of taxpayers. With this new MOU arrangement, taxpayers without a Private Letter Box (PLB) will be referred to Post PNG for a mandatory registration of Private Letter Box (PLB). IRC will no longer accept and allow taxpayers using ‘c/.care of’’ as address for services on their tax returns or any documents relating to their tax affairs,” Mr. Koim said.  

“TINs will only be issued to taxpayers with an updated and privately owned PLB.” 

Mr Koim also stressed that TIN Certificates and Certificate of Compliances will become the mandatory requirement taxpayer will provide to Post PNG, particularly individuals, Companies, Business Names and SME’s, etc., intending to register for a PLB for purposes of generating income. However, this will not affect individuals intending to register a PLB for purposes other than running a business.

Post PNG’s Chief Executive Officer Peter Tepure declared his support for collaboration with IRC through this MOU in ensuring that the Government’s prerogative to collect revenue is enhanced by such data sharing arrangements. 

“We will streamline and merge IRC’s database with our Post PNG clientele database and the link will be provided to the IRC officers to have access,” said Chief Executive Officer Tepure.   

Koim also expressed that through this linkage, IRC would be notified in real time of any change of address by a registered taxpayer.

Statement

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