As the Dominica Social Security celebrates its 45th anniversary, the institution is reiterating its call to the sel-employed to take the payment of their DSS contributions seriously.
Speaking on the DBS DBS Talking Point programme recently, DSS Director, Janice Jean-Jacques Thomas, urged Dominicans who are self-employed to visit the DSS office to make their payments.
“I want to sound out to the self-employed persons out there that contributing to social security is mandatory,” she said. “While we haven’t taken legal actions against self-employed persons who fail to contribute, we actually have the option to do that.”
According to Jean-Jacques, social security has noticed a trend where self-employed persons wait for when they are approaching the pensionable age, “to come and pay or to come and seek an increase in the contributions that they are paying, but it will be too late.”
She explained that it will be too late “because after the age of 55 you are not free just to come and up your income, because it will be taken as you are doing so for the purpose of affecting your benefit rate.”
The DSS Director argued that one cannot wait to start paying back contributions after reaching the pensionable age, “and expect that it can go into the calculation of your benefit.”
Jean-Jacques Thomas said all the contributions must be paid before the individual reaches the pensionable age.
I always set the stage so fools can have their say… But to argue with idiots I never stay!
Looks like Dominica Social Security is making it optional for self-employed people to contribute to social security. In other countries they would be charged penalties and interest if they did not contribute. DSA can easily find out the person’s income from Inland Revenue; so why can’t DSA issue a notice to the offending party? Sounds simple enough to me.
Reading the comments here bares a high level of ignorance that will continue to plague Dominica’s future growth and Development. Do you think I can tell the IRS, City, State and local Officials where I reside, that this pay period, I only made a little bit of money, therefore I am waving my taxes because I have bills and I must buy food and pay for my car insurance? Not in a million years. If I earn $150.00 in income, taxes are deducted from it them I receive the rest.
If that system existed in Europe or North America, no one would pay any taxes. A country cannot run without taxes, no matter how much we might hate paying them. When a government institutes as its mandate, the “Kool Out Business” and free everything if your wave the correct political colors and party affiliation, what else do you expect? Carry on.
this institution, which recently erected a metal fence restricting the same self employed persons from being able to work in the shade of their building, is now asking self employed persons to contribute…smh.. be proactive!
Thats loitering. If you have no license or approval from the Roseau City Council to operate in SPECIF areas, you are loitering sir. Rules and law are in place. Be thankful that you have other options. The fence, was to prevent the paros from deficating and sleeping there. To prevent people from tossing their garbage there. Thats what the fence is for. Now if you look across the street, there is no fence, if you like, you can go there, or find another shady building without a fence. Entitled dominicans like to act like people owe you all something. If you want to retire with something in all you hand, pay all you social security. end of story.
They will learn the hard way. By then it will be too late.
…and if you thought I had finish… you know how many mornings I have to drag my fil borda from my bed because my boyo coming out to go and forsay to do my little work? Tout le jour. You know how many times DSS will come and say… look a little $500 to help you with the bills? OK! If I die of hunger no one knows! Is them politicians that would want to run and pay for my funeral so their name can go on death announcement so they can say… he/she was her friend wi. If allu want money, go ask the government…is they that have. And leave people that struggling like me keep on struggling… you doh know how I eating and drinking!
Dominica has a way of doing business that is unique in the world.
I would like to take poll of people who live in North America and Europe. If your government showed an unwillingness to take punitive measures to make you pay your taxes and just “urged” you to pay, would you comply? I for one would just ignore that plea.
If I owe tax and it is not paid on time, there is a 5% penalty plus a 1% per month interest added until it’s paid in full. Those taxes follow you until you die and then they take it from your estate.
I know that because I know someone who through negligence, failed to properly look after his taxes and was owning $60K. One day he went to withdraw money from the ATM and got a message that the account was frozen. He called he bank and was told the federal government froze his account. They released it after he paid the taxes.
To “urge” people to pay taxes is a joke.
Dear Social Security,
It already don’t have jobs for Dominicans. We struggling to make a little ends meet, so that we can pay utility bills and provide food for ourselves so that we can try to reach the end of the year, which we’re not certain about…people dying so fast… You urging self employed to pay fees? How you know we getting fees? You think is you alone that’s affected by Covid-19? Sometimes as we get the little money it finish. If I go to any governmental institution and ask for a little help, would I get it? Is welfare assistance available for all Dominicans regardless of political or non political affiliation? No! But you want me to go and voleur for you and you even want to increase payments annually? Well I doh have money and if you want to make it legal…guess what? I will leave the black market I doing and come and beg on the streets of Roseau, because is that allu want people to do.
Don’t blame DSS for all your fait. Blame your beloved PM. You know that one you vote for every 5 years (for a little something). All you are all your worst enemy. Serves you right!