THE Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) seems to have been engaging many letter writers’ attention in the past week, including Mr Dhanraj Deonarine who penned two letters to the press, two days in succession, that were very critical of the Authority.

For the record Mr Deonarine, like several others, is within his right to express his personal views. However, the GRA has no proclivity to respond to him as it cannot afford to be sidetracked by unwarranted public attention based on its experiences in the past.

At this very important juncture in the country, the Authority must remain focused on its mandate to collect and secure revenue, especially with the Government’s plan for the organisational and managerial capacity of the GRA to be strengthened and enhanced.

As such, the GRA will spare no precious time to rebut Mr Deonarine or any of his opportunistic views, though there are a few important points worth mentioning.

This is an individual who had a short stint with the former tax department (Inland Revenue) in the Task Force that was politically imposed on the agency and very much took instructions from the former Administration.

Secondly, it is rather surprising to hear Mr Deonarine criticise the GRA for its efforts at investigating and recouping tax revenues from the telecommunications and other sectors. According to him, “very significant amounts of tax revenues have been lost in the fishing, telecommunications, mining and logging sectors, because the GRA either lacked the will or the skills to investigate these businesses.”

While it is a known fact that there have been overwhelming challenges to get important taxpayers and entities to fully comply, Mr Deonarine should be reminded that efforts to audit the telecoms company, for example, were challenged in the court on the grounds of illegality, resulting in the matter still being unresolved today.

For Mr Deonarine to weigh in on the GRA and write from a supposedly objective perspective, suggests that he is either suffering from amnesia or is opportunistic, given that there is a new Administration in office.

KHURSHID SATTAUR
Commissioner-General
Guyana Revenue Authority