Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh yesterday called on the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to aim to be a world-class tax administrator and he also warned against corruption.
Singh yesterday made his first visit to GRA facilities since his recent appointment. A release from the Ministry of Finance said the visit occurred amidst the busy year-end clearance process and enabled the Minister to inspect the operations.
The Senior Finance Minister was accompanied by newly-appointed Chairman of the GRA Board, Saisnarine Kowlessar and they met with Commissioner-General Godfrey Statia and toured the various offices in the compound.
Addressing Senior Management gathered in the Oil and Gas Unit he said: “It is opportune that we are meeting in the room of the oil and gas unit, as particularly where we are as a country, we are at a critical juncture, a defining moment, the moment that our country is really going to turn the corner from a country where there were a number of fiscal challenges to one which is now an oil producer and exporter with different challenges including the need to manage our finances carefully and sustainably.”
The release said that he reminded the GRA that despite the importance of revenue from oil and gas, domestic revenue was still a priority.
“The coming into existence of an oil and gas sector does not mean that revenue collection from other sectors will not matter. In fact, it will be quite the opposite,” he said as he referred to other non-oil sectors which his Government will be prioritizing as well.
Pointing to the modernization of infrastructure taking place in the country, the release said that Singh noted that this must be accompanied by rapid modernization in the manner in which Government services are delivered to taxpayers.
Turning his attention to corruption, Singh said that there is zero tolerance stance for corruption and that anyone found to be transgressing would be dealt with condignly.
“We expect as a Government, the highest standards of integrity and professionalism in revenue administration. That is the charge that President Irfaan Ali has given to his entire Cabinet. That is the charge that we are not only mandated, but required to convey to all entities within our respective sectors,” he reaffirmed.
GRA recently came under scrutiny over corruption after it was revealed that images from a container scanner had been deleted. The images pertain to a container containing a huge amount of cocaine. The images have since been retrieved.
