UHWI owes over $40 billion in unpaid taxes and fees, PAC told

Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today heard that the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) owes the Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) and other government agencies in excess of $40 billion in unpaid taxes and fees.

Without interest and penalties, that debt stands at more than $18 billion, according to UHWI Acting Chief Executive Officer Eric Hosin.

The debt has existed for several years, but, according to the hospital’s management, it does not include employees’ contributions, and access to loans has not been affected.

A recent report by the Auditor General’s Department revealed that the UHWI failed to provide documentation for work contracts totalling some $521 million.

Hosin was responding to questions from PAC Chairman Julian Robinson.

“We are now current with our payments for NIS and NHT. So every month we pay that amount,” he said.

“However, we don’t have enough money to pay the other tax obligations,” he added, noting that the hospital does not currently have a payment plan with the TAJ.

He informed that the UHWI is operating on a temporary Tax Compliance Certificate (TCC), which expires next month.

Hosin was asked to provide further details, including confirmation of the portion of the debt that reflects employee contributions, as well as the time period over which the debt was accumulated.

- Corey Robinson

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