Minister within the Ministry of Finance Jaipaul Sharma last Tuesday sought to rebut several claims made by the opposition, including the assertion that the increase in tax revenue projected for next year is due to new tax measures.
Sharma’s presentation to the National Assembly, which was read labouriously over the 35 minutes he was allotted, was greeted by vociferous heckling from the opposition benches, which drowned most of what he attempted to say in the House. He was, however, clear that the projected increase in tax revenue was not because of new tax measures but because of improvements in tax administration.
Responding to claims made by PPP/C parliamentarian Irfaan Ali, he said the increase in tax revenue will be driven by growth in collection of income, value-added and excise taxes, and he explained that the recent amnesty programme implemented by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) will help it get a better handle on taxpayers, while more oil and gas subsidiaries will result in more withholding taxes.
