…says the crime is a stain, blight on Guyanese

MINISTER of Finance Winston Jordan said tax avoidance and tax evasion must no longer be celebrated, but must be seen for what they are–a stain and blight that rob the government of revenue and retards development in Guyana.

Jordan made the comments on Monday at the launch of a new container scanner site at the GNIC compound, Lombard Street, Georgetown. He said his personal mandate to the staff of GRA is for them to ensure that the tax base is broadened so that everyone pays their fair share and it is not left to the marginal few, both in business and the citizens combined, to bear the weight of the country’s revenue collection,” Minister Jordan said.

He said that the tax amnesty announced in this year’s budget has seen active participation and the amnesty ends on September 30. Minister Jordan said the staff of GRA is critical to the success of the reforms while charging them to adopt a proactive approach to their work and become more engaged and less susceptible to unscrupulous practices.

“The commissioner general has my full support in doing what it takes to make the agency worthy of the support and trust of taxpayers,” he said. He said the tax agency is heading in a new direction and that tax reform and tax administration “which for far too long was held in abyss, as you know as soon as I came on board I was acutely aware of the shortcomings of the GRA, so it didn’t take me too long to start a massive drive to clean up that institution with a view of not only increasing tax collection but to also improve equity, efficiency of collection, allocation of resources, all which will benefit the taxpayer and Guyanese.”
Minister Jordan said that tax reform administration is needed more than ever when the economy is emerging from periods of challenges, particularly as it relates to sugar and emerging economic sectors to oil and tourism. Since 2015, Minister Jordan said several new and amended pieces of legislation have been passed to remove disparities and to simplify the tax system, reduce rates in income, corporate tax and VAT while eliminating a multiplicity of tax that generate little or no income. “The system for filing taxes have become easier with the introduction of electronic filing; the use of technology is critical to the revenue collection process and will no doubt improve efficiency of time and reduce opportunities to engage in corrupt practices,” he said.

He said with the coming of the first oil in the first quarter of 2020, the work of the GRA will expand greatly as government seeks to ensure and safeguard oil revenues. The finance minister added that the GRA will soon be boosting an oil and gas unit staffed with professionals who will receive the highest training and best practices in the sector.
By 2020, the economy is projected to grow by at least 20 per cent and beyond it is expected to grow by leaps and bounds and this will come with new challenges, new laws and regulations while better implementation and enforcement will become even more pronounced, according to the minister.