Private professionals, who practise their trade for reward, will need a practice certificate issued by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) in order to practise their profession, according to Commis-sioner General of the GRA, Khurshid Sattaur.

According to a press release issued by the GRA, as a consequence all returns which are due up to the date of application for the certificate must be delivered by the applicants to the Office of the Commissioner General of the GRA along with all relevant taxes due and payable by the relevant category of taxpayer.

According to the release, the First Schedule of the Tax Act Chapter 80:01 has categorized professional groupings and professional fees are charged as follows: Category A – Accountants, Auditors, Legal Practitioners, Medical Practitioners, Architects, Dentists and Optometrists – $250,000; Category B -Engineers and Veterinary Surgeons – $150,000; Category C – Physiotherap-ists, Pharmacists and Surveyors – $75,000.

According to the GRA, professionals who qualified within three years preceding the date of the application for the practice certificate are permitted to pay $25,000 and shall thereafter be liable to pay the full prescribed fee. All conditions must be satisfied before the certificate is issued by the GRA.

The release stated that the Tax Practice Certificate is valid for one calendar year and is renewable annually. In addition all applicants must uplift and complete an application form, which is issued by the compliance section of the GRA offices at the Guyana Post Office Corporation building or at any regional branch office. The applicant must state therein his/her experience, the nature of practice, place of practice and also provide copies of certificates as proof  of qualification to practice the relevant profession.

The GRA noted that all professionals are required to have a Taxpayer Identifi-cation Number (TIN) and should submit all outstanding returns in accordance with Section 60 of the Income Tax Act. Additionally, professionals are required to pay taxes due including advance taxes and the requisite professional fee, before the application is processed. The release stated that a copy of the professional fee receipt must also be attached to the application form.

According to the GRA, legal action may be taken against all defaulters who do not comply with the aforementioned.