CABINET has granted its no-objection to two contracts, some US$365,000, that are in pursuit of the exercise by Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), to relocate all of its arms to the CLICO Building on Camp Street.

Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon told reporters during his regular post-Cabinet briefing at Office of the President, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, also in Georgetown, that the okay was given this week.
He revealed that an award for US$169,000 was approved for the supply of structured cabling and switching network on the building and, similarly, approval was given for a further US$196,000 for the supply and installation of IP PBX equipment at the same place.
“These are funds that are being utilised by the Revenue Authority in its relocation exercise from all of its locations in Georgetown to this single location,” Luncheon explained.
Following the news conference, he told the Guyana Chronicle that authorities decided to move all of the GRA offices to one location, probably because of cost considerations and, also, to allow for more efficient work by the agency.
“Right now, there are about seven different locations at which GRA services are provided…at Eccles, Ruimveldt, North Georgetown, etc. The interest, of course, has been to concentrate, consolidate, cut cost and make more effective management in having it in one location,” he said.

DEADLINE
According to Luncheon, the Ministry of Finance had set December 31, 2012, as the deadline for the completion of the GRA relocation.
Last January, GRA Commissioner General, Mr. Khurshid Sattaur had said that the departments to be housed in Camp Street are the Customs and Trade Administration (presently on Main Street), Licence Revenue Division (Princes and Smyth Streets), the Value-Added Tax and Income Tax Divisions (Charlotte and Albert Streets and General Post Office (GPO) Building, respectively), the Human Resources and Finance Division and the GRA Secretariat (Lamaha Street).
He said the GRA was promised the use of the unfinished edifice at the High and Princes Streets, but, due to the delays in the project, the planned occupancy was put on hold.
Sattaur had said, too, that, given the concerns for parking at offices such as in Smyth Street, the GRA was making adequate arrangements for that at the new location.