The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has installed a help desk and a television monitor at Customs House, Main Street, which it says “will boost overall efficiency” and validate the integrity of officers.
A release from the GRA also said that plans are in the pipeline to have similar screens at all wharves. It added that Commissioner-General Khurshid Sattaur in his thrust to ensure transparency in transactions and guarantee that the integrity of officers is validated had taken this “bold initiative”.
According to the release, the monitor provides information regarding the status of entries for importers and brokers as well as pertinent tax information, tips and general guidance in relation to the clearance of goods by brokers and other importers.
The system offers self service and information can be accessed by importers and brokers inputting the Tax Payer Identification Number, the release continued.
The data displayed on the 52-inch monitor will include the declaration reference number, the current status of the entry and the date of lodgment.
The release stated that GRA Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur met members of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) last Friday where he announced that there will be more initiatives aimed at creating a higher level of efficiency and transparency in the near future.
President of the Guyana Customs Brokers Association Andrew Thorne is reported by the GRA release as saying the new system “will enhance Customs Brokers work in terms of knowing where the entries are when they are lodged” and that it was a “step in the right direction.”
CEO of John Fernandes Ltd. Chris Fernandes is quoted in the release as saying that the new system was a historic development that was long awaited and would impact positively on trade in and out of Georgetown.
Meanwhile, the release also recorded PSC Director Rabindra Rambarran commending the GRA and Chairman of the Shipping Association in Guyana Andrew Astwood as saying the initiative will contribute to the general “expeditiousness of trade in Guyana.”
