$500 tax office hustle - Men take money to help desperate customers ‘skip the line’

Hustlers are finding a way to make money at Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) offices, where they sell front-of-the-line access for as much as $500, making use of long waits on the busiest days of the month.

At a couple of branches visited by THE WEEKEND STAR, men loitered outside entrances and in waiting areas, approaching taxpayers with the same offer: pay a fee, skip the line. The trade exploits the TAJ's queuing system, which issues numbered tickets on entry. According to customers, some individuals arrive early to secure numbers, then step away until business peaks. When lines are at their longest, they return to resell those tickets to taxpayers who are tired of waiting.

"It catch mi off guard," said Michael*, who had gone to pay taxes related to his motor vehicle. "Di man just show mi him number and say, 'Five bills, yuh can skip.' Mi look pon di number and see seh him did get it from morning. Him just a wait fi somebody desperate."

An elder customer, Janet*, said she was stunned to see the practice carried out in full view of others.

"Mi stand up from 7 a.m. and still nuh get through, and den mi see people come wid money and bypass everybody. Dem walk straight inside because dem have number weh suppose to call already."

Taxpayers who spoke with the news team said the hustle undermines fairness and adds another layer of frustration to an already-difficult process.

"It nuh right," another customer said. "Imagine yuh tek time off [from] work fi line up, and then man a sell shortcut inside government office. A everybody should wait di same way."

One seller shared that the practice is most active on Mondays and at month end, when the lines are longest due to deadlines, licence renewals, and business filings. The men offering the tickets defended their actions as a way to make a living.

"Mi nah rob nobody," said one of the sellers. "Is poor people who tired fi wait pay mi. If mi never sell dem number, it woulda waste. A hustle same way, like sell bag juice or peanut pon di road."

Another seller, Ryan*, acknowledged that the push towards online services threatens the trade.

"Right now mi survive because nuff people cyaan manage di online ting or dem nuh trust it. But if everybody start use di e-service, mi cyaan hustle dat."

THE WEEKEND STAR contacted TAJ to ask if the agency was aware of the practice, whether measures were being taken to address it, and what advice it had for customers approached by sellers. Up to press time, TAJ had not responded.

Long lines at TAJ offices are not new. Taxpayers have, for years, complained of hours-long waits, particularly at the start of the week and towards the end of each month. While TAJ has invested in an e-services platform that allows for online payments, filings, and renewals, many Jamaicans continue to rely on in-person visits. Some cite limited Internet access or digital literacy challenges, while others say they prefer face-to-face transactions.

As Michael puts it, "Mi nah pay no five bills ($500) fi skip line. But if TAJ nuh fix di problem, nuff people a go feel like dem haffi pay fi get through. An' mi sure dat cyaan be right."

*names changed to protect identity