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Daryl Vaz clashes with Tax Administration officials
Daryl Vaz.
A legal showdown is looming between Daryl Vaz, Minister with responsibility for Information, and a senior official of Tax Administration Jamaica.
This follows an aborted raid on the premises of businessman Ricky Vaz on Monday [June 6].
The tax administrators had instructed the Enforcement Team to discontinue the collection exercise, based on negotiations with representatives of the firm Auto Traders 2000.
On Wednesday the Information Minister boldly declared that there was no government intervention in the aborted seizure of assets at the auto establishment owned by his brother, Ricky.
Mr. Vaz insisted that $4 million was paid on the spot, with the understanding that negotiations would continue towards full settlement of the outstanding liabilities.
However, the man at the centre of the operation, Enforcement Team Leader Gladstone Turner is maintaining that Mr. Vaz is not telling the truth.
“I can clarify that monies were not paid on the spot as was indicated on the newscast. There was no money paid on the spot, however it is true that monies were paid. I saw a cheque the next morning when I went to the office for $4 million and another million dollars was paid during the day,” Mr. Turner said.
But in a swift response this morning, an upset Information Minister told RJR News he is preparing to defend himself.
Mr. Vaz says the matter is now in his lawyer's hands.
“I was the one who was hesitant in commenting on this matter. I have been brought squarely in play by insinuation and the bottom line is that I have to defend myself. I am expecting now that I have been brought in that I am going to send the transcripts of all of the interviews to my lawyers who can advise me better, I have advised my brother of the same,” he said.
“I want to categorically say once again that what was done in this matter is nothing untoward, it is absolutely straightforward based on the operations manual that has been published by the tax authorities and it has now become a political football and since it has become a political football, let us play,” Mr. Vaz said.
On Thursday [June 9] Tax Administration Jamaica issued a release emphasising that seizure operations can be halted if the delinquent taxpayer makes full restitution on the spot.
Meanwhile, Mr. Turner is disagreeing with the explanation given by tax officials for the halting of the exercise on Monday [June 6].
He says it was never the case in previous operations where the senior tax officials would contact him to abort a tax enforcement exercise.
“With respect to inequity, I think I consider what took place to be not equitable and I say that unequivocally and categorically because to me the action was curtailed prematurely,” Mr. Turner said.
“We have done matters like that in the past and have been allowed to do the negotiations ourselves based on the taxpayers compliance record and the nature of the case and how delinquent the taxpayer is,” he said.
He says the latest tax matter involving Ricky Vaz dates back to 1994 and has passed through three different collection stages which provided an opportunity for him to pay the outstanding arrears.
Daryl Vaz.
A legal showdown is looming between Daryl Vaz, Minister with responsibility for Information, and a senior official of Tax Administration Jamaica.
This follows an aborted raid on the premises of businessman Ricky Vaz on Monday [June 6].
The tax administrators had instructed the Enforcement Team to discontinue the collection exercise, based on negotiations with representatives of the firm Auto Traders 2000.
On Wednesday the Information Minister boldly declared that there was no government intervention in the aborted seizure of assets at the auto establishment owned by his brother, Ricky.
Mr. Vaz insisted that $4 million was paid on the spot, with the understanding that negotiations would continue towards full settlement of the outstanding liabilities.
However, the man at the centre of the operation, Enforcement Team Leader Gladstone Turner is maintaining that Mr. Vaz is not telling the truth.
“I can clarify that monies were not paid on the spot as was indicated on the newscast. There was no money paid on the spot, however it is true that monies were paid. I saw a cheque the next morning when I went to the office for $4 million and another million dollars was paid during the day,” Mr. Turner said.
But in a swift response this morning, an upset Information Minister told RJR News he is preparing to defend himself.
Mr. Vaz says the matter is now in his lawyer's hands.
“I was the one who was hesitant in commenting on this matter. I have been brought squarely in play by insinuation and the bottom line is that I have to defend myself. I am expecting now that I have been brought in that I am going to send the transcripts of all of the interviews to my lawyers who can advise me better, I have advised my brother of the same,” he said.
“I want to categorically say once again that what was done in this matter is nothing untoward, it is absolutely straightforward based on the operations manual that has been published by the tax authorities and it has now become a political football and since it has become a political football, let us play,” Mr. Vaz said.
On Thursday [June 9] Tax Administration Jamaica issued a release emphasising that seizure operations can be halted if the delinquent taxpayer makes full restitution on the spot.
Meanwhile, Mr. Turner is disagreeing with the explanation given by tax officials for the halting of the exercise on Monday [June 6].
He says it was never the case in previous operations where the senior tax officials would contact him to abort a tax enforcement exercise.
“With respect to inequity, I think I consider what took place to be not equitable and I say that unequivocally and categorically because to me the action was curtailed prematurely,” Mr. Turner said.
“We have done matters like that in the past and have been allowed to do the negotiations ourselves based on the taxpayers compliance record and the nature of the case and how delinquent the taxpayer is,” he said.
He says the latest tax matter involving Ricky Vaz dates back to 1994 and has passed through three different collection stages which provided an opportunity for him to pay the outstanding arrears.
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