Dear Editor,
I wish to make reference to a letter which appeared in the Stabroek News letters’ column dated  April 2, 2009 and captioned ‘Why is there only one licence office in Georgetown?’

The Guyana Revenue Authority is currently reviewing its systems with a view to improving the quality of service provided to taxpayers at the Licence Revenue Office, including the computerization of the operations at that office.

At the moment the “old card system” has to be used for data conversion and verification purposes alongside the recently introduced Licence Revenue Office Management Information System (LRO/MIS). Hence, there is need to currently have one licence office in the Georgetown area where the manual records are maintained, before the data conversion process is completed.

Once the data conversion process is completed, the GRA will in the near future be able to examine the possibilities of linkages with other offices of GRA throughout the country to make its services more accessible. When the new system is perfected, the Licence Revenue Office will have full control over who is granted a licence, since the new electronic licence itself is linked to the vehicle registered.

The new system was implemented because the old manual system was prone to a huge amount of irregularities due to people being unscrupulous. The new system would serve to enhance the Licence Revenue Office’s ability to monitor such unscrupulous activities.

Currently, certifying offices in Berbice, Essequibo and Linden are continuing with the manual system.
The Guyana Revenue Authority would in the near future extend the boundaries of the Licence Revenue Office in an effort to capture more data to rapidly update the new system. This in turn will speed up the issuing of electronic licences by certifying offices throughout the country.
Yours faithfully,
Peter Fraser
Senior Manager
Public Relations
GRA