SRC decentralises services to new office in ‘Leve Debrouye’ building at Providence |21 January 2023

Ms Betsy addressing staff and guests at the ceremony

Due to a lack of space to better serve its clients at the Green Corner Building at Zone 19, Providence, the Seychelles Revenue Commission (SRC) has moved its payments of domestic tax services to a more spacious office located in the ‘Leve Debrouye’ Micro Enterprise  Complex at  Zone 18 in the industrial estate at Providence.   

The new office was officially opened yesterday morning by the SRC’s deputy commissioner, Fred Morel, who had the honour of cutting the ribbon in the presence of the commissioner general Veronique Herminie, the chief executive of the Industrial Estates Authority (IEA), Roy Collie, and  other members of staff of the SRC.

In this more comfortable setting, the SRC is expected to alleviate many constraints namely the long queues and inadequate parking space for clients.

The office will also enable the SRC to further enhance operational efficiencies and improve customer experience through its range of extended services that are being provided.  These include advice to clients on business registration, general tax and other related queries from clients.

The office, which has been in operation since Wednesday this week, will open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 2.15pm.

In its previous location at the Green Corner Building not very far off, the SRC staff shared the space with the Seychelles Licensing Authority (SLA) and the Commission had only one cashier who focused mainly on providing cashiering services for payments received.  Now in the new office the SRC will have three permanent officers to attend to clients.

Addressing guests and staff at the opening ceremony, the director for support services at the SRC, Christelle Betsy, said the office has been set up with a view to making a difference in the quality of services offered to the taxpayers based at the Providence Industrial Estate and others from outside who will come to use the facility.

She noted that the office location is easily accessible and the  parking areas are within the perimeter of the building as compared to the  previous location where parking space was limited thus causing  frustrated clients to go away after being unable to find a slot.
“The move to this location (in the ‘Leve Debourye’ building) is to better facilitate the provision of additional services in a more spacious and conducive environment away from the hustle and bustle of the day to day commercial activities. It is easily accessible and the parking areas are within the perimeter of the building. It has adequate space with an additional cubicle to further accommodate additional staff to assist during peak periods,” said Ms Betsy.

She added that while the SRC is encouraging taxpayers to make better use of its online platforms, it is also aware that it would take some time before more people make maximum use of these platforms and it is the reason why in the meantime the Commission is trying its best to accommodate the needs of the tax payers through other means, taking also into consideration the health and safety of its staff and numerous clients.  

“The health and safety of our staff is also of paramount importance and this more spacious office should enable the SRC to satisfy these requirements,” she remarked.

Speaking to the press later, the director for revenue, Marcia Chetty, said that although the SRC will have its own building in the near future, the move to ‘Leve Debrouye’ is permanent as it  forms part of the Commission’s strategy to decentralise its services to  other areas around the country to facilitate the ease of doing business.

She explained that with constraints encountered during operations such as long queues and inadequate parking space especially around the monthly tax payment deadlines, given the rise in the number of people who were coming to the office at the Green Corner Building to do their transactions, they had tried to alleviate the situation with the introduction of a temporary cashier to speed up the service but they encountered some health issues.

“This is what prompted us to move in this new office which is more conducive. For the moment, we have a working agreement with the IEA which exempts us from paying any rent given that we are collecting its revenues,” said Ms Chetty.

Text & photos by Patrick Joubert