Revised Laws of Saint Lucia (2021)

78.   Deduction of tax from payments to contractors

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    (1)   Where any person makes any payment, either directly or indirectly through a financial institution, to a contractor, for the supply of labour or for the hiring of equipment, that person or that financial institution shall, subject to subsection (3), deduct tax from the gross amount of such payment at the rate of 10%.

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    (2)   Any contractor may apply to the Comptroller for an exemption from compliance with this section, which may be granted where the Comptroller is satisfied that receipts of such form of income have been regularly disclosed in the returns of income of such person and any tax thereon has been paid or secured to the satisfaction of the Comptroller.

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    (3)   Production of such evidence of exemption by the contractor to a person, or financial institution, making any such payment shall be sufficient authority for the payer to make payment of the gross amount without deductions of tax under subsection (1).

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    (4)   In the case of contractors in operation for less than one year, the Comptroller may request a deposit representing an advance payment of the tax payable under subsection (1) and calculated in accordance with information made available to him or her by the contractor.

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    (5)   In this section “contractor” means any person who is a resident and who is providing or supplying independent personal services for reward, other than as an employee, but does not include any person providing services as or by way of—

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      (a)     accountant, auditor or tax consultant;

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      (b)     business or management consultant;

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      (c)     lawyer;

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      (d)     doctor, dentist, pharmacist or nurse;

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      (e)     civil or mechanical engineer;

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      (f)     funeral undertaking services.

(Amended by Acts 18 of 1990, 11 of 1998 and 9 of 2001)