With three well-organised and efficient women at the helm of Government?s major tax collecting departments, companies on the Island will find it increasingly difficult to flout the law and avoid paying taxes.

Tax Commissioner Heather Jacobs Matthews, Director of Social Insurance Karen Daniels, and Debt Enforcement Unit Manager Mitchelle Williams all love seeing the money ?rolling in? to ensure the Government bank balance remains in healthy standing.

Presiding over funds in the public purse has its share of challenges with currently hundreds of delinquent companies owing unpaid taxes, but the three are pushing ahead with aggressive plans to collect the unpaid taxes.

They also back calls for legislation that would chase the directors of limited liability companies who are in outstanding tax arrears to the Contributory Pension Fund and in payroll taxes. Internet payment of taxes and a registrar of all businesses ? including small home-based companies ? are part of the long-term agenda to heighten awareness of the importance of all local employers to live up to their financial responsibilities.

At budget time every year, the taxes are put towards Government funds which project how much money can be put towards social programmes every year.

?It?s really an important job since we collect the revenue so Government can carry out its mandate, what we can do will ultimately affect the policies the Government can carry forward,? said Mrs. Matthews.

While tax collecting may seem like a dry subject, chipping away at debts is often humorous and interesting. ?We have so many stories we could tell,? said Mrs. Matthews. ?Often we hear a number of excuses with one of the popular ones as the wife is the one to blame.?

With more than two decades of experience in tax collecting, Mrs. Matthews served as the Tax Commissioner from 1989-1994 and as Accountant General from 1994-1999. Today she heads a team of 30 who are charged with the responsibility to promote the highest levels of tax compliance and enforcement and she loves the responsibility of helping people to feel confident in their chosen profession.

?When taxpayers walk in the door they should receive the best possible service at all times and in order to service them properly they need to understand their legal responsibilities,? she added. ?We are trying to do as much as we can to work on educational programmes for our clients and our taxpayers.?

Both Karen Daniels and her colleague Mrs. Matthews are graduates of the Berkeley Institute and Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, and their career paths have taken them to the Accountant General?s Office.

Ms Daniels began work with Arthur Andersen in 1989 and went on to work at the Bank of Bermuda before moving into work with the Government sector after the opportunity arose to work as a trainee within the Accountant General?s Department.

One of her goals is to launch a media campaign to help people understand the importance of stashing away enough pension funds for retirement through the Government fund and with individual pension schemes.

With an elderly population that is living longer, similar to many of the world?s developed countries, Bermuda is not unique when it comes to pension funds which to a certain extent do not keep up with the rising cost of living.

?It?s challenging work, it is enjoyable to help people plan their own retirement packages and to ensure individuals are diligent and start to think things through for their own future.?

Social insurance in Bermuda was not designed to function as a person?s sole source of income in their retirement years but as a supplement.

People need more aware of the importance of their individual savings plans, Ms Daniels said.

?It?s not really thought about, a lot of young people see the deductions as a nuisance but this something that one day we will all become dependent on to a certain extent,? she added. ?We need to empower people with the pension fund so they know more about what it is, so they can track its progress online. We also need to empower employees who feel they have been taken advantage of by their employer to approach (that employer) and ask what is going on.?

At the moment Bermuda?s working population of 35,000 people put funds into the Contributory Pension Fund while 9,000 people currently receive pension benefits every month and there are currently 5,000 registered employers. The maximum pension which one can receive under the scheme is $1,100 per month.

Even if you have been the victim of pension theft, Ms Daniels said Social Insurance can offer a basic pension to make up for funds which have been lost but the funds can never entirely be recouped.

?People will get a pension but it depends on contributions made during their working life. The number of contributions affects how you are placed in the monthly tier of payment schemes,? she added.

At a recent CARICOM conference, Ms Daniels said she was impressed after learning that schoolchildren in St. Lucia are educated about pension funds. ?It?s a different mentality,? she said. ?The islands are more aware of how their pension schemes work and what they can do to take a more active role in planning their pension and ensuring it can help to support them when they retire.?

Mitchelle Williams, who is Manager of the Debt Enforcement Unit has worked with her team of three staff members to pull in close to one million dollars in outstanding tax payments this year.

?I enjoy pulling in the money,? she said. ?It?s part of what I love to do. I think our working relationship is also part of our success and part of what will guide us all forward, if I pick up the phone and call Heather or Karen I know they are very diligent about collecting the taxes.?