Tax and Customs Authority (AT) has extended its presence in social networks by launching last Tuesday, 1st September 2020, an official Facebook page. Through the new communication channel (available on Facebook.com/AT.financas), AT is committed to posting contents to taxpayers fulfil their tax and customs obligations and remind them to comply with tax deadlines. AT’s first post alerts to the social and economic costs of tax evasion and fraud.
The Covid-19 pandemic forced the institution to redesign the way taxpayers are assisted and, taking into account the uncertainty regarding the pandemic’s, there is a need to explore new channels of communication to inform the public about tax matters. According to Nuno Félix, AT’s deputy director-general responsible for taxpayer’s relationship, “AT's Facebook will be what - together - the institution, its employees and taxpayers make of it. Our commitment is clear: to use this new channel to publish contents that support the fulfilment of tax and customs obligations, to alert taxpayers to the fulfilment of deadlines and to promote a better public awareness regarding AT's role”.
AT currently has an official Twitter account, where tax and customs information is published, namely on payment or other obligations’ due dates as well as updates on the legal background. In 2020, the pandemic forced AT to require prior appointment by taxpayers for face-to-face assistance. This year, more than two million face-to-face interactions have been made to assist taxpayers, about 1.5 million calls have been answered and more than 600,000 written questions from taxpayers have been answered through the Tax Administration’s Portal.
In the message sent to AT’s employees, Nuno Félix takes the opportunity to highlight the role of the Tax and Customs regional offices which, in light of the constraints imposed by the pandemic, have sought “at each location and at each moment to find the best solutions to overcome the challenges”. Nuno Félix also sends a word “of thanks to the trade unions” for the support they have given and for the inputs they have made for the fulfilment of AT's duties and in the relationship with taxpayers. He also emphasizes that, in AT's 2020 Assessment and Accountability Framework (QUAR), four of the five approved goals aim at giving an “increased importance” to promoting voluntary compliance: “facilitating voluntary compliance”, “reducing response times for citizens and companies”, “providing services and information oriented to the taxpayer” and “innovating in the organization and in the relationship with the taxpayer”.
Click here for AT Facebook page Click here for AT Twitter page
PDF version of the article can be downloaded.