Inland Revenue Training and Communications Manager, Sherelle Poitier was on hand at a business training and information workshop hosted by the Small Business Development Centre where she updated reporters on business license renewals.
She said, “I know that we have a lot of business licenses that are in process and our Financial Secretary, Simon Wilson at the Ministry of Finance has mandated that we get through all of them by the end of March 31st. And so we’re encouraging persons within the community especially of they’ve submitted applications to go ahead and check their emails because we may be reaching out to you. And of course there’s a period, a turn around time of twenty one days that we’re allowing persons to provide the additional information that we require. So its imperative for them to go ahead and check their accounts periodically and provide us with the additional information because we do have a few changes since the passing of last year’s budget when it comes to the business license renewal process.”
Poitier went further explaining where those on the family islands needing assistance can find it. “We partnered with the island administrators where some of the regulatory bodies are not in place. So things like your approvals for physical planning and Ministry of Works and the likes. Your able to go into the family island administrator to get those approvals and then our process is totally online so visit us at inlandrevenue.finance.gov.bs click the business license tab whether your applying for the first time you’ll select that or if its a renewal you can go there. But everything that you need is on our website.”
According to Poitier, fifty four percent of the approximately 60,000 business license applications submitted have been reviewed.
