Dear Editor,
THE Private Sector Commission wishes to congratulate and thank the Ministry of Business for proposing, and Cabinet for approving, the introduction of a Trusted Trader programme for Customs facilitation.The Commission has long advocated for the introduction of such a programme for legitimate businesses, and it is heartening that the Government has taken this step, which will reduce the bureaucratic burden on compliant businesses and ultimately increase Government’s revenue.

This programme will also help to improve Guyana’s ranking on the World Bank Doing Business Index, which stands this year at 139 out of 189 countries, with time required for export documentary compliance currently estimated at 200 hours.

There are a number of legitimate businesses which have, over the years, shown that they can be trusted to comply with all Government regulations and requirements, particularly in relation to Customs, and these businesses should rightfully be rewarded with more efficient systems for the processing of their goods.
Regards,
PRIVATE SECTOR COMMISSION