ON May 12, 2009, I wrote a letter to the press about a vehicle that I had bought from the Ministry of Home Affairs at an auction sale in November of 2008. As at the date of writing my first letter on this issue, to the press, I had not been provided with information regarding the registration of the vehicle I had bought.

I subsequently went into the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) and inquired about the status of the availability of the registration and was told that the Ministry of Home Affairs would have to send a letter to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) requesting a tax exemption on the vehicle.

Now, from the time I purchased this vehicle – PHH 4953, I was never aware that I had purchased a vehicle that was not legitimately registered until I received a copy of the letter from the MoHA requesting tax exemption from GRA. My contention is, if this vehicle was seized by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for tax evasion, then how could they turn around and put it up for auction without notifying the prospective buyer that the vehicle was never registered legitimately. Is it a legally accepted process for the MoHA/GPF to auction off vehicles that have not been legitimately registered? Is it right for unsuspecting citizens to be the ones to suffer after having paid for an asset that they cannot use?

GRA replied to MoHA, refusing to give the requisite tax exemption (letter enclosed), so I went to the License Office to find out how much tax I would have to pay; the License Office sent me on to Customs House and there I was informed that I needed to pay G$1,200,000.

This is a vehicle that has been in Guyana for about 12 years now. When I bought it at the auction, it had no doors, no bonnet, no lights and no grill. After replacing all those things at an accumulated cost of $585,000, I am required to pay $1.2 million in taxes. A vehicle I thought I was buying for G$50,000 is now costing me G$1,835,000.

Another letter was subsequently sent to GRA again seeking tax exemption concession after it was agreed that it was impossible to pay that tax on an old car. I was told that I would get a response by July 31, then August 7, then August 10, however August 18 is past and I am still awaiting a response.

As I said in my first letter, the MoHA needs to put proper systems in place before these vehicles are put up for auction. In our society, it seems as if the people who want to do things the right way almost always have problems, while those who seek to do things the wrong way, get through. I am sure that there are many other persons who have this same problem, but will resolve or have already resolved the matter by doing the wrong thing. I, however, am a law-abiding citizen and always will be. I could have done the wrong thing and would have been driving by now, but I prefer to wait and do the right thing.

However, in the event that the tax exemption is not granted, how can I recover my money? I have already invested G$635,000.

I am appealing to the Minister of Home Affairs and the Commissioner General of GRA, Mr. Sattaur to assist in the resolution of this matter.
ARTHUR TAYLOR
JOHN TAYLOR