— VAT appeal tribunal amended, NDMA reconstituted

THE government has resuscitated the Free Movement Committee which will allow Guyanese with specified skills to travel freely within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
In 2006, the committee was established to facilitate the free movement of Guyanese with specified skills but, after a few meetings, the committee became dormant, said Minister of State Joseph Harmon during a press briefing on Friday.

According to CARICOM, the free movement of skills initiative originated in the 1989 Grand Anse Declaration, but the original concept has been modified over the years in order to facilitate the implementation of this mandate.

Basically, the free movement of skills entails the right to seek employment in any member state and the elimination of the need for work permits and permits of stay. It is important to note from the outset that free movement is an important pillar of any genuine single market and economy.

Government, in an effort to promote free movement, has resuscitated the committee and expanded it to include new members such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of The Presidency, Department of Citizenship and Immigration, the National Accreditation Council, the Government Technical Institute, the Council for Technical Vocational and Education Training, the Guyana Office for Investment and the Guyana Nursing Council.
Minister Harmon said approval has also been granted for the committee to convene regular meetings.

As part of efforts to revamp and improve committees, government has also granted approval for the amendment of the Value Added Tax (VAT) Appeal Tribunal which will now be headed by Attorney-at-Law Ronald Burch-Smith.

The tribunal will also include Pamela Drakes, Nizam Ally, John Seeram and a new member, Trevor Bowen. Harmon said the parliamentary opposition is yet to identify a representative from their side.

In addition to the tribunal, the board of directors of the National Data Management Authority (NDMA) was also reconstituted and will now be chaired by Clement Henry and will include Floyd Levi, Raymond Khan, Michael Griffith, Marcia Thomas and Lance Hinds.