A government employee who went above and beyond to handle thousands of payroll tax benefits has been recognised with a Public Service Excellence Award.

Renee Lathan, who works in the Office of the Tax Commissioner, was commended last week by David Burt, the Premier, along with Derrick Binns, the Head of the Public Service.

The award goes to an individual or team each month for their significant accomplishments in the past 60 days.

The Ministry of Finance received more than 5,000 applications for payroll tax benefits last December – and processing the payments on time required a high level of technical skills and customer service experience.

Working independently, Ms Lathan dealt with a “massive” workload to get responses to clients on time.

The new programme posed unprecedented operational challenges, which Ms Lathan navigated and resolved within narrow deadlines.

Payments of more than $872,000 went to eligible workers earning less than $96,000 a year.

Mr Burt said: “Manning the queries inbox was an essential part of the programme that required customer service skills and knowledge of the programme.

“Ms Lathan was the only person who was fully capable of this and she contributed well beyond the call of duty, even while on leave.”

Dr Binns added: “Piloting a project as complex as this one requires a lot of patience and accountability to ensure that the Government delivers on its promises to the public.

“I applaud Ms Lathan for taking on this huge responsibility with such a co-operative attitude.”