THE compromising of confidential tax information, breach of Oath of Office and a plot to destroy the local daily were some of the allegations levelled, in several articles published by Kaieteur News, against the Commissioner-General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Mr. Khurshid Sattaur yesterday.

And the Authority’s Head has since vehemently rejected these assertions, making clear that there is clearly a move afoot to compromise and influence the ongoing investigations into alleged tax fraud by the publisher of the local daily, Mr. Glenn Lall.
“The articles are designed to intimidate me into discharging my mandate to conduct a statutory audit into Kaieteur News,” Mr. Sattaur told the Guyana Chronicle.
He added that he will be moving to the courts with a libel suit against Kaieteur News.
“The necessary arguments (refuting Kaieteur News’ claims) will be provided for the publisher and editor to respond to in a libel suit,” the GRA Commissioner-General said, adding that the stakeholder parties ought to have armed themselves with the facts before making false allegations.

According to him, the Page One headline in yesterday’s edition of the Kaieteur News, titled ‘Jagdeo/Sattaur plot to destroy Kaieteur News unearthed’; the column by the paper’s editor, Mr. Adam Harris, titled ‘Khurshid Sattaur uses his position to spite people’; and the ‘Dem Boy Seh’ column, titled ‘Dem crooks believe dem have a right to be wrong’ are grossly inaccurate.
Sattaur said, “The Kaieteur News has displayed misguided and grossly inaccurate information, as well as recklessly irresponsible behaviour.”

CONFIDENTIALITY PROTECTED

Mr. Sattaur, in talking about the allegations levelled against him, explained that relative to the assertion that Mr. Lall’s confidential tax information was released, the Laws of Guyana permit the disclosure of information from his Office, “only” under certain conditions.
Under Section 4 of the Income Tax Act, a disclosure to the state is not prohibited, a disclosure for the purposes of the administration of the Act is allowed and a disclosure to any person with the authorization of the president is permitted under the law. These exceptions are further extended by the Revenue Authority Act, Act No. 13 of 1996. Under S23 of this Act disclosure is further allowed in four instances: a disclosure in the course of the person’s duties; with the consent in writing by or on behalf of the Authority; when lawfully required to do so by an order of court; or when required to do so under any law.
The Kaieteur News had stated that former President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, is in possession of confidential documents that were leaked to him by Sattaur.
However, the Commissioner-General reiterated that the legal provisions regulating the release of information from GRA are clear.
The GRA Head said, “Everyone in this country knows or ought to know that the President is also legally entitled to receive information on any taxpayer. This privilege has been enshrined in the statutes since the days of the first executive President and used very effectively to prevent a certain category of persons from becoming too powerful from amassing wealth illegally and then using that ill-gotten gains to challenge and I dare say attempt to unseat the duly elected authority of power of the day.
“The mere thought that such an authority vests in the Presidency I submit, prevented persons from engaging in such nefarious activities… it is well advised because of the gravity of the offence you are accusing me of that you spend your time more constructively to conduct more research into what information is confidential and what the public has a right to know.”
As such, the GRA Head was firm in assuring that the confidentiality of tax information remains confidential.
NO BREACH OF OATH

He stressed that at no time has he breached the oath of office that he took upon assumption of duties as the GRA’s Commissioner-General.
Mr. Sattaur surmised that the allegation that there was such a breach, appear to be linked to a move to seemingly influence the current court case that is before Chief Justice (ag), Mr. Ian Chang.
He said, “There would appear to be a deliberate and orchestrated effort on Kaieteur News’ part and no doubt that of the owner of the newspaper to give maximum coverage of their false statements.
“No doubt this is being done in their continuing effort to influence the learned Chief Justice in his impending decision. This belief is further confirmed from the most naive reference made to the current court case in the newspaper when one of the articles stated that ‘This matter is before the court and I am sure it will go nowhere’.”
NO PLOT

The GRA Commissioner-General was firm in highlighting too that there is no plot to destroy the local paper, as has been alleged.
“Mr. Lall has published inaccurate information and displayed recklessly irresponsible behaviour. Now he wants to cry foul and suggest that (there’s) some sinister plot afoot to destroy the business of the newspaper,” he said.
Mr. Sattaur said the GRA is acting within its mandate to investigate allegations of tax evasion and recover monies owed to the State.
The Commissioner-General underscored the fact that, as a result of these efforts, the GRA’s revenues, each year, have been surpassing the target set in the National Assembly, by cracking down on tax evaders from tax schemes and from fraudsters employing various devious and pernicious devices that the GRA’s auditors and enforcement officers bring to light.
ACTIONS AGAINST LALL

In the latter part of August, two vehicles, used by Lall and his wife, were seized, following the disclosure of details of an alleged duty-free concession scam, which were made public after a look by the Guyana Chronicle at the Government of Guyana’s review of the Remigrant Scheme. The Guyana Chronicle was able to obtain copies of all the relevant documents – from the application to and approval by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, GRA, and shipping information that indicate that the government was possibly cheated out of a total of US$189,000 (US$94,500 times 2), or almost $40M in import duty for the two vehicles. This matter is currently before Chief Justice.
Days after being fingered in the alleged remigrant duty-free concession scam, Lall found himself at the centre of a tax evasion scheme. The allegation is that his company has, for over a decade now, been importing printing ink and passed them off as products of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), so as to enjoy duty-free concessions for those importations. Additionally, as it relates to the current state of the investigation of the matter, the Guyana Chronicle was informed that the necessary verification requests are still with the relevant authorities in Trinidad and Tobago.
Additionally, Mr. Lall and his wife, Bhena Lall, last week, were sued by the acting Town Clerk of the Mayor and City Council, Carol Sooba, for the sum of $5.6M and $60,142 for unpaid rates and taxes for the years 2004 to 2013 in relation to their property at 24 Saffon Street.
“The investigations being conducted by the GRA are based on the merits of our findings…I will not be intimidated,” the Commissioner-General concluded.