GUYANA Revenue Authority (GRA) Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur declared, yesterday, that he will not be granting any extension to the June 30 deadline for the renewal and purchase of motor vehicle licences (MVLs). Persons wishing to do so after the allowed time has expired will be required to pay a ten percent administrative penalty on the costs.
Mr. Sattaur made his declaration at the Licence Revenue Office (LRO), in Smyth Street, Georgetown, where GRA notified the public of recent changes in the system for issuing licences.
Detailing some of them, Mr. Wayne Austin, who is in charge there, noted that the forecourt is fitted with synthetic flooring and covered with tents and seating is provided for persons seeking attention.
Customer Service Representatives are at a help desk to the entrance of the compound, offering immediate assistance.
“These new measures were only intended for the peak period but we took a decision to extend these initiatives through the grace period for the sale of motor vehicle licences so that all motorists could benefit from the enhanced taxpayer experience,” Austin remarked.
He said, presently, there are at least two full-time cashiers processing MVLs and the Enquiry/Help Desks are fully functional, with staff now equipped with computers. This allows the attending staffers to provide motorists with information on ownership of the vehicle, taxpayer identification number (TIN) and vehicle information prior to the commencement of their transaction.
Austin also noted that there are ushers wearing badges, which are clearly identifiable, to escort motorists from the time they arrive at the office to the Help Desk.
With the implementation of those innovations, he said the time taken to process the sale of MVLs has been reduced substantially. The transaction now takes between three and five minutes from the time the motorist leaves the Help Desk.
“In this regard, we are encouraging persons who are yet to renew their MVLs to do so immediately and not wait for the last day. They now have only ten days to go,” Austin reminded.
Addressing media questions, Sattaur said the introduction of the License Revenue Processing System (LRPS) has been designed to track every step of transactions and has, so far, resulted in a number of discrepancies being identified.
He said every effort has been made to reduce the usual congestion at the LRO, including the sale of licences at various other offices and designating a special day for the issuing of free licences to owners of yellow cabs and setting up a temporary GRA location in Wakenaam and Leguan to facilitate taxpayers in the Essequibo Islands and their environs.