THE Guyana Revenue Authority’s (GRA) Customs and Trade Administration (CTA) has with immediate effect ceased the granting of clearance of goods ‘Prior to Processing’ of documentation, except in special circumstances and only for certain categories of importers.
This notice is appearing in electronic form at the Customs House on Main Street, where there is a large screen television monitor with streaming information on customs entries and the status of the documents being processed.
The monitor, which is two-fold, provides information regarding the status of entries for importers and brokers, as well as pertinent tax information, tips and general guidance in relation to the clearance of goods by brokers and other importers.
The notice said that the decision to cease the facility is premised on the improvements made in the processing and delivery of documents which make the special permission redundant. The GRA said that the decision was taken because of the large number of unprocessed customs documents for PTPs granted in the past, and these remain outstanding, meaning that files cannot be completed. The facility allows importers and shippers to either clear incoming cargo, or ship outgoing cargo without the completed processing of the requisite customs documentation through Customs House.
But this system can lend itself to abuse by persons and entities which are tardy in clearing up old documents for goods already cleared from wharves or shipped out of the country.
Customs said that the facility will be retained for importers of perishables. But the Commissioner General of the GRA must give permission for persons seeking to clear their goods through this facility. The notice said that persons seeking to access this facility must write to the Commissioner General of the GRA, Khurshid Sattaur.
According to the notice, the processing of documents for commercial imports takes between 24 and 72 hours.
The GRA said it is collaborating with the private sector to ensure that there are no delays experienced by entities and persons who normally benefit from clearing their goods in this manner. Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Ramesh Dookhoo, said that the Commissioner General has regular meetings with members of private sector bodies to examine how it is that the customs processing system can be more business and trade-friendly.
Some weeks ago, the GRA launched the electronic monitoring system which is geared to make the system easier for persons to monitor. In addition to the monitor, Customs House has a desktop computer into which persons can enter their TIN and registration number and other information and check the status of their transaction in a more private manner.
But despite the upgrades and facilities that the GRA is putting in place to make the system more business-friendly, there still continues to be complaints on minor matters, for example the calculation of ‘want of entry’ rent and charges, which should not take more than 10 or 15 minutes. One broker complained of waiting almost an hour for rent and charges to be calculated for the import documentation he was attending to.
Among the categories of importers that may be eligible for the prior to processing facility are Government Ministries, hospitals, projects, companies in rice, bauxite and miners, and members of the diplomatic community.
The GRA had said that the establishment of the help desk – also part of the improvements – and the mounting of the monitor will boost overall efficiently. The project was funded by GRA as another way of providing comfortable and efficient service for taxpayers, the GRA has said in an earlier press release.
Sattaur said that in the near future, there will be more initiatives aimed at creating a higher level of efficiency and transparency. He said too that the GRA has in its employ ‘new blood’ who will steer the entity in the right direction.