THE Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is appealing to consumers to take a more active and vigilant role in reporting fraudulent and illegal activities they may encounter when purchasing goods from businesses.

According to the Commissioner-General of the GRA, Mr. Khurshid Sattaur, “the watchdog of the GRA is really the public, the consumers, those who are defrauded the most, those whose money are collected and not remitted, those who are swindled by these unscrupulous businesses, those who are tempted by these businesses with the question, Do you want a receipt for which you will have to pay VAT or not?”. When this occurs, the taxes are being cheated by both the consumers and the businesses. These deceitful practices contribute to tax evasion by businesses. Thus, the businesses will continue to get richer and richer while the public suffers from poor and inadequate public goods and services such as healthcare and social security which is made available through taxes collected.

After conducting a number of searches, the GRA said it has gathered concrete evidence that a number of businesses are engaged in fraudulent practices and are in the habit of maintaining dual record books.

Business persons engaged in fraudulent activities risk imprisonment and the payment of fines as well as payment of taxes due in addition to interest based on assessment of their tax liability.

The law provides that in cases which offences are repeated, a business can be shut down for a period of three to 30 days. “This may be the next remedy which we will have to institute in the near future, for those businesses who do not heed the call to correct what they are doing”, Mr. Sattaur further stated.

Consumers desirous of reporting any information pertaining to fraudulent or illegal activities can call the GRA Intelligence Hotline on telephone no. 225-6687. All information received will be treated with the strictest of confidentiality.