The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has filed a statement of amounts due as Value-Added Tax (VAT) from Friendship Hotel and Restaurant Holdings Limited in the High Court, and has slapped 60 charges on nine other businesses.
According to the GRA, the statement revealed that the company owed the GRA $37,648,739.00 as VAT and interest for three consecutive periods: September to November 2007.
The company, which has the franchises for KFC and Pizza Hut already owes $45.1M also spanning a three-month period from a prior statement; and has since appealed to the VAT Board of Review. The decision is pending a 32 per cent payment of the outstanding taxes before the board hears the matter.
Additionally, five persons appeared at the Linden Magistrate Court to answer charges of failing to issue tax invoices in conformity with the VAT law. Four (Star Bonnet Hotel, Paddy’s General Store, Majid’s Esso Service Centre and Richard’s Cheap Corner) pleaded guilty to the charge while one, R Fordyce and Sons entered a not guilty plea and is to return to court on May 6 for trial, according to the GRA.
The GRA has filed 60 charges against nine other businesses for failure to file VAT returns in addition to numerous other VAT related charges currently engaging the attention of the court.
Legal Officer for GRA Andrew Girdhari said they are preparing to file another 222 charges against 24 businesses for also failing to file VAT returns.
He noted that the ratio of offences to businesses shows that there is some disregard for the law, as many persons repeatedly commit the same offence.
