Only one Tundra legally licensed, GRA says

– duplicate plates not issued by LRO

The Licence Revenue Office (LRO) has categorically stated that identical registration numbers were not issued by that office for the vehicles in the photograph in last Wednesday’s issue of Kaieteur News captioned “Tundras with similar licence numbers impounded”.

The Guyana Revenue Authority said in a press release that according to the LRO records, on December 19, 2007 registration number GKK 9378 was issued for chassis number 5TBB748-935398942 to Vickenanda Rupnaraine of 57 Montrose, East Coast Demerara. No other registration was issued with the same number, the GRA maintained.
Further investigations have revealed, the GRA said, that all the applicable taxes and duties for both vehicles were paid to the Customs and Trade Administration. How-ever, only one vehicle was registered.
According to Director (ag) Licence Revenue Office, Whentworth Tanner, it would have cost the vehicle owner a mere $10,000 to complete the second vehicle’s registration process.

But, according to Tanner, the owner contended that it was his intention to sell the vehicle. Tanner said he was baffled over this statement since because the person is not a registered auto dealer, he would first have to register the vehicle before he could sell it and have a transfer of ownership. A registered auto dealer is allowed to dispose of vehicles imported using the trade plate. As he is not a registered auto dealer, Rupnaraine does not have permission to use a trade plate, the GRA said.
Meanwhile, the GRA stated “that this irregularity is in no way connected to any irregularity or fraudulent practice at the Licence Revenue Office, since there is no way that the LRO would have known of the existence of another vehicle” with the same registration number.

The GRA said further that before any motor vehicle can be issued with a registration number, it must first be taken to the LRO for inspection, and during this routine activity, key information such as the engine and chassis numbers are recorded on the Certificate of Registration.

The LRO is the only authorised agency to conduct registration of motor vehicles countrywide except for agricultural vehicles which can be registered at the Licencing and Certifying Offices in New Amsterdam, Corriver-ton, Linden and Suddie.

The LRO has several stringent measures in place to counter the prevalence of counterfeiting and other licencing irregularities associated mainly with the illegal importation of motor vehicles and motor cycles across Guyana’s borders.
The LRO is at present sanitising its database and recently it introduced a waiting period of five working days for persons desirous of uplifting copies of lost documents and the registration of trailers to facilitate a verification process.
Other measures include a new driver’s licence with security features, which is to come on stream shortly and the regularization of the number plate system, which is also expected to be introduced soon.

A major initiative aimed at stamping out registration irregularities is a joint networking operation, which is now in its first phase, between the GRA and the Guyana Police Force so the two agencies would have ready access to GRA’s motor vehicle registration database in order to easily detect false number plates and other irregularities.

The GRA also lauded the police for their support and vigilance in unearthing the irregularity with the two Tundra vehicles and pledged continued support to ensure that these practices are eradicated.