The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) said today it has noted with concern the appearance of a fake Facebook page mirroring that of the agency’s official page that is being bandied around social media.
The GRA in statement said it would like to advise the general public to disregard the message currently circulating on social media purporting that the “Commissioner General Godfrey Statia has given due consideration for the addition of 14% VAT and 30% Consumption tax for plantain chips produced locally so as to boost internal revenue due to the ongoing shortage of revenue in the consolidated fund”.
The statement said that at no point has any such information come from the Commissioner-General or any other official of the GRA. As such Facebook users are being advised to desist from forwarding/sharing this content but instead, join the campaign against “fake news” of any form.
The GRA says it has an official Facebook account called Guyana Revenue Authority, for engaging with taxpayers. However, the homepage of this fake site while it carries a copy of the GRA’s logo, is captioned Guyana’s Revenue Authority – Taxidermist in Georgetown, Guyana.
The statement said that the GRA’s PR Team is currently working with Facebook’s Administrators to resolve the matter. It said that any news emanating from the GRA can be verified by calling the Communications and Tax Advisory Division on 227-6060 Ext 4205, 4208 or 4209 or by checking the GRA’s official website www.gra.gov.gy.
