Status: Active

Period of implementation: October 2021 to October 2023

Donor: European Union – 11th European Development Fund

Direct Beneficiary: Inland Revenue Department (IRD), Ministry of Finance

Implementing Agency: ONAO, IRD, Tetra Tech International Development Ltd. (TTID)

Donor Contribution: 1,100,000 EUR

Background:

Historically, Antigua and Barbuda has been one of the Caribbean’s most prosperous nations, with a vibrant tourism industry and offshore financial services. However, the country’s tourism-dependent economy has been severely impacted by the global economic, financial, and covid-19 crises. These challenges have aggravated an already unsustainable fiscal position, and as a result of the crisis, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda (GoAB) has been working towards the strengthening of macro-economic and public sector management.

In the context of challenging macroeconomic conditions, the GoAB has acknowledged the need for additional fiscal consolidation, supported by further strengthening of its Public Financial Management (PFM) and revenue administration systems, recognizing that the reform of these systems is a long-term process.

As part of this process and with the financial support of the European Union, the GoAB’s revenue authority, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) is upgrading their revenue information system to the latest version. This system is critical to the tax administration and revenue collection function and to achieving the IRD’s objective to modernise the tax management sector in Antigua and Barbuda.  

Objective:

The overall objective of the project is to support the modernisation of the tax system of Antigua and Barbuda by upgrading the tax administration software of the Inland Revenue Department (IRD).

Project description:

The Government of Antigua and Barbuda’s revenue authority, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) is upgrading its Standard Integrated Government Tax Administration System (SIGTAS), from Version 1.0 to Version 3.0. This new system will facilitate greater transparency and modernization of the taxation process, enable e-registration, e-filing, e-payments and reporting, increase the efficiency in tax collection, enforcement, and recovery as well as optimize decision making.

It is anticipated that the SIGTAS V3.0 upgrade will, among other things:

• Support all tax administration processes into one integrated system;
• Support all types of taxes and licenses including VAT, Excise, and Property Tax, using a centralized tax roll across all tax types and modules;
• Provide taxpayers with electronic services over the Internet, allowing them to interact with the tax authority and conduct electronic transactions (such as electronic filing and payment) through a secure, user-friendly, and efficient channel;
• Provide management tools, to track amounts assessed, collected, and outstanding including aging of arrears;
• Optimize decision-making with the use of operational and strategic management reports;
• Increase operational efficiency, reducing errors and duplications through computerization of tax administration;
• Enhance taxpayer service, with more accuracy promptly, it includes a suite of account query and analysis features;
• Reduce the learning curve for government officials by providing a standard, user-friendly graphical interface;
• Protect all information through tight, role-based security rules; and
• Integrate seamlessly with other mission-critical government systems, and statistical sampling tools.