The Internal Revenue Commission (IRC) only administers the law. It does not make tax laws.
Staff from the IRC taxpayer services unit made this clarification during an SME workshop in Lae, Morobe Province.
The collects a majority of PNG’s revenue through taxes, which drive the nation through the annual budget.
Schools, hospitals, roads and bridges are just some of the infrastructure and services made possible through tax collection.
However, there seems to be a lot of confusion when it comes to the tax collection agency. Ruth James from the IRC taxpayer services division clarified that their job is to only collect tax, not make tax laws. She described the IRC as a ‘middleman’ who stands between the government and the people.
“Mipla kisim lo yu, mipla givim go long gavman,” she said. (We get tax from you, we give to the government.)
“Hau ol breikim daun, hau em kam daun…wanpla blo em, em nau yumi kam sidaun lo hia, yumi laik benefit lo em. Em tru lo disla ol wok we mipla wokim.” (How it is broken down or allocated is up to them. One good example would be this gathering that has been made possible through what we do.)
“Planti taim tu mipla go aut, ol sa tok hat lo mipla olsem, ‘yupla senisim lo, mipla ol wok manmeri mipla baim bikpla teks’. Mipla ken givim iau lo yu, mipla ken harim bat wanpla samting which mipla sa tok klia tu em, mipla no wokim disla ol lo.” (Many a times when we go out, people tell us to change the law because they pay hefty tax. We can only listen to you and clarify that we do not make these laws.)
James said they only follow the law, just like everyone else. They are not immune to the pain that taxpayers feel as they themselves also pay tax.
James and her team were invited to speak at the recent Morobe Provincial Government MSME & Cooperative Societies program at the Immanuel Lutheran School.
(Attendees at the Morobe Provincial Government MSME & Cooperative Societies program)