The Government of Saint Lucia has announced a significant extension of its tax amnesty programme, giving taxpayers until the end of 2027 to settle outstanding liabilities while benefiting from the waiver of interest and penalties accrued on taxes owed up to December 2025.
The measure, approved by Cabinet, comes despite several previous tax amnesty initiatives and repeated appeals by authorities for individuals and businesses to regularize their tax affairs.
Officials hope the latest extension will encourage greater compliance while boosting government revenue collection.
Speaking during this week’s pre-Cabinet press briefing, Prime Minister Philip J Pierre described the initiative as one of the most generous tax relief measures ever offered by the Government.
“The Cabinet will approve the extended tax amnesty which will be in effect till December 2027,” Pierre announced. “And what is important to note is that all interest and penalties of taxes due up to December 2025 will be waived.”
According to the Prime Minister, taxpayers who take advantage of the programme will only be required to pay the principal amounts owed, with all accumulated penalties and interest written off.
“This is probably one of the most generous tax concessions ever,” he said.
Pierre explained that the decision reflects the Government’s recognition that taxpayers and businesses may face challenges that affect their ability to meet their obligations on time.
“All interest and penalties due on taxes up to December 2025 are going to be waived,” he stated.
The Prime Minister also emphasized that many of the taxes in question are collected by businesses on behalf of the State and should ordinarily be remitted promptly to government.
“So we call on the public, all taxes which is actually collected by businesses for the government and ought to be returned to the government immediately,” Pierre said.
Nevertheless, he noted that the Government had opted for a conciliatory approach rather than strict enforcement measures.
“But the government decided that we understand sometimes that there may be issues, so we’re going to be waiving these interest and penalties,” he added.
The extension provides taxpayers with an additional opportunity to settle outstanding obligations without the financial burden of accumulated penalties and interest.