Mark Drakeford, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government
The Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA) is being established to manage and collect new taxes, which are being devolved to Wales from April 2018 – stamp duty land tax, which will become land transaction tax and landfill tax, which will become landfill disposals tax.
It will be the first non-ministerial government department created by the Welsh Government and, over the course of the next three years, it will collect around £1bn in tax revenues, which will be vital for the ongoing funding of public services in Wales.
The WRA will be a relatively small organisation, employing around 40 staff. These people will have a high degree of expertise and specialist skills in tax compliance; digital services and data management. The detailed options analysis, covering a shortlist of six potential locations in different parts of Wales, concluded that to attract and retain these specialists it is important the WRA is located in the same area of Wales as other organisations carrying out similar functions. A copy of the appraisal has been placed in the library.
The headquarters for the WRA will be based in Treforest in the first instance. The Treforest location is a clear demonstration of our commitment to spread prosperity into the South Wales Valleys. We will review the location of the headquarters once the WRA is fully established and operational after 18 months.
The WRA must also meet the needs of its stakeholders and customers across Wales. This will involve working alongside customers and their agents wherever they are based to raise awareness of the new Welsh taxes.
The WRA will be a digital first organisation – there will therefore be a requirement for WRA staff to work directly with stakeholders across Wales to support the move from paper-based systems to online payment and filing.
To facilitate this, the WRA will have a presence in both Aberystwyth and Llandudno, to ensure staff have direct contact with stakeholders, taxpayers and their agents.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who provided views, suggestions and comments about where the WRA could be based.