The Government of Guyana has been ordered by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to pay Suriname company Rudisa Beverages some US$6, 047,244.47 (G$1.2B) which had been collected in an environmental tax that contravenes the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC).
Guyana was also ordered to take the necessary legal or other measures to prevent the collection of the environmental tax on goods of Caricom origin. According to the ruling, the country is also obliged to file a report with the Court within six months on its compliance with the orders made by the Court.
The judgment, issued in the court’s original jurisdiction, could lead to similar claims against the government from Caricom companies on which the longstanding tax was levied. It was also made clear in the judgment that the political gridlock here will not absolve Guyana of liability in actions of this type. Guyana had explained before the court that it had attempted to rectify the tax but that the measure failed in Parliament.
Rudisa and CIDI Distributor, which distributes the beverages in Guyana, had filed an application with the CCJ alleging
