The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) is in the process of crafting a new three-year Corporate Strategic Business Plan to guide its operations from 2026 to 2029, as part of efforts to strengthen revenue administration and align with national development priorities.
The initiative is being undertaken through a week-long, in-house strategic planning workshop, bringing together senior IRD leadership alongside consultants from the Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre (CARTAC), who are providing technical guidance and facilitation throughout the process.
Deputy Comptroller of the IRD, Fleur Simmons, explained that stakeholder engagement played a key role in shaping the direction of the plan, particularly through focus group discussions.
“What we would have looked for in those focus groups is just anything that would inform us, anything that would assist us, so it’s like an environmental scan into developing or determining the direction of the Inland Revenue Department,” Simmons said.
According to CARTAC Short-Term Expert Princess Scott, the planning exercise is structured around several strategic pillars designed to ensure the IRD remains responsive to both local and global tax-related developments.
“We’re starting off by looking at what we call the strategic intent, which is pillar one, which is what the strategic priorities from global direction, the Ministry of Finance, the government of Saint Lucia, that from a tax standpoint will impact the IRD,” Scott explained.
She said the second pillar focuses on strategy formulation and implementation.
“We’re then looking at pillar two, which looks at how do you then formulate a strategy. And strategy is the roadmap that will take the IRD to realise certain key outcomes in keeping with its mandate, its vision, and its mission,” Scott noted.
The framework also places strong emphasis on performance monitoring and the overall strength of the tax system.
“So how does it monitor and measure its performance? How does it monitor and measure the strength of key components of the tax system to move the IRD forward in supporting and funding domestic revenue mobilisation, which is revenue being collected, revenue being buoyant for the people of Saint Lucia?” Scott said.
The new Corporate Strategic Business Plan is expected to provide a clear roadmap for the IRD’s operations over the next three years, ensuring the department remains effective in revenue collection while supporting the wider economic and fiscal objectives of the Government of Saint Lucia.