I REFER to a letter published in another section of the media on 25th March in which Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Commissioner General, Khurshid Sattaur, issued a threat to publicly humiliate those who are found guilty of tax evasion. He plans to do this by exposing the culprits to the public via the media. While this age old embarrassment factor is a road the GRA head plans to traverse, I wonder how effective his efforts might be.
Here you are dealing with a bunch of big wigs such as doctors, businessmen and lawyers, people who could not care less.
They are robbing the government of well-earned revenue which is a serious crime. Some of those on the list are prominent critics of the administration, people who I see from time to time spewing bile about the goings on in public office.
Well I am happy to announce that paying up your taxes is one sure way in fighting corruption; how is that for starters, paying what you owe, and let’s move on from there. But when you are confronted with barefaced thieves (like many of them are) one is forced to go that route; expose these vile denizens.
I must mention that one of those tax evaders love to talk about the American system being fair and transparent; somewhat “superior” to ours. Well let me refresh his memory as to the way things are in that superior country. Is he aware of the fact that someone is summarily viewed a criminal of the worst kind when you owe the IRS?
In fact, that lawyer would have found himself snugly in prison were he in the USA. But he knows fully well that he is in Guyana where seemingly anything goes so he, as well as his friends, can babble to the full here at home with impunity.

I do know Mr Khursid Sattaur, having met him some years ago. He is a no-nonsense public servant who has to deal with crooks within and without his authority, which is quite a daunting task, but the job has to be done with the utmost urgency. I would advise the commissioner to drag the thieves before the courts where they must be made to pay up all the penalties incurred as a result of late filing. Exposing shameless people is innocuous but having them pay up will do the trick.