To stem corrupt practices in the customs department and the complicity of the business community in fuelling the problem, Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Khurshid Sattaur has proposed working on a joint strategy with the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI).
Criticisms plague the revenue body because of “the bribes and those receiving here”, Sattaur said on Thursday, while agreeing that recent statements by the President on the issue were indicative of a real problem that exists. He said hardly anyone is unaware of what GRA is grappling with. “I am not burying my head in the sand like the proverbial ostrich unaware of what is going on. I am fully aware but the business community needs to work with me because they are part of the problem,” Sattaur stated.
President Bharrat Jagdeo recently said that corruption remains an issue at the Customs and Trade Administration (CTA) and he pointed to “persons there who still try to steal…,” adding that the administration is probing all activities to rid the CTA of corrupt officers.
The revenue boss said he has been sitting back quietly waiting to see what others are doing to curb the problem “while the criticisms are flying”, adding that whatever decisions GRA makes requires consequent action from those in the business community. But in the absence of a response he decided to reach out to GCCI.
Sattaur feels the problem should be tackled from within the business community if any serious attempt is to be made in identifying those within the ranks of GRA with outstretched hands. In this vein, he personally contacted President of GCCI Chandradat Chintamani for assistance in crafting an effective strategy.
Chintamani agrees with Sattaur on the level of corruption at customs and the extent to which it thrives in the business community saying on Thursday that he had long advocated changes in the system which would end the bottlenecks and ultimately root out corruption.
“There are questionable characters within customs though some have been rooted out and likewise we have people among us that bribe which is why I was happy to hear from and look forward to working with Mr Sattaur,” Chintamani said.
The collaboration as proposed by Sattaur is critical, Chintamani observed, since he is of the opinion that customs can be cleaned up by addressing the concerns which are creating room for such practices.
He hailed the move by the Commissioner General as “a significant step in charting the way forward,” but pointed out that a tremendous amount of work is to be done.
Still, Chintamani said, the initial measures put in place are likely to impact on what is currently taking place and increase revenue collection.
“There are no quick fixes to this problem, but I have a lot of ideas and suggestions in my head that I am willing to share with Mr Sattaur when we sit down to work out what measures are to be implemented,” the GCCI President stated.
