THE Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) yesterday introduced an online monitoring system for Customs declarations status.

The agency said the feature is to monitor declarations by importers or their brokers and the web based method, implemented on December 17, will now prevent those importing from taking unnecessary trips to Customs House once they have Internet access.
GRA Commissioner-General, Mr. Khurshid Sattaur said it would enable importers to better manage their time and plan around the three-day maximum processing time, as persons can obtain the information from home, on their laptops or smart phones.
He said it will also enable them to respond quickly in instances where documents are queried or consignments flagged for enforcement checks.
Similar to the kiosk system (Customs ticker) at Customs House and the wharves, importers, exporters or their brokers would be required to select the regime, the year, enter the declaration number and the taxpayer identification number (TIN) and they will be able to see the current status of the declaration after hitting the search button, GRA explained.
It said the system would be updated on a regular basis, covering a period of fourteen days and, therefore, for declarations lodged more than 14 days ago, taxpayers would be required to use the kiosk system at Customs House on Main Street or the wharves, which has an archive.
The GRA is encouraging importers and their brokers to take advantage of this new methodology by visiting its website www.gra.gov.gy and clicking on the link under the heading ‘New’ in the Newsflash Box, which will take them to the ‘Lookup Customs Declaration Status’ page.
The GRA said it is constantly working to improve its service to taxpayers and is looking forward to offering a suite of online services in the near future.