Many unlicensed businesses in Essequibo, licensing officers do nothing

Dear Editor,

Hundreds of business places in Region Two, which stretches from Pomeroon to Supenaam, are operating without licences. This deprives the government of much needed revenue and at the same time threatens the survival of those who operate legally from unfair competition.

There is a licensing department at Anna Regina with several staff members who apparently are not the ones to ensure that all business premises are licensed as they do nothing.

At the same time, it is ridiculous to see the same officers pestering legitimate business owners to take out their licences while those who do not have are completely ignored.

There is a provision in the law which makes it a criminal offence for any business place to operate without a licence. Why is it that no action is taken against these offenders?

Yours faithfully,

Baliram Persaud