Private sector ‘furious and hurt’ at treatment over VAT chaos

Outgoing President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Gerry Gouveia says the private sector is “furious and hurt” over the treatment meted out to it by the Guyana Revenue Authority in the wake of the chaos surrounding the implementation of the Value Added Tax (VAT).

Responding to statements by the GRA that the practices of some businesses have bordered on price gouging, Gouveia said the GRA seemed to want the business community to get “amnesia” and forget the consumption tax (c-tax) already paid on goods in stock before December.

Yesterday morning, the GCCI president held a press briefing at the chamber’s Waterloo Street headquarters before visiting several businesses to observe the VAT implementation process.

He emphasized that stock relief was only eligible on stock imported or manufactured in December, not in the preceding months. “