– VAT, tax advisory departments settling in
The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has commenced operations at the Clico Building on Camp Street and said that all of its departments now housed in various offices around the city will be in the edifice by the end of the year.
Sources at the GRA said that this marks the first in a phased shift to the building from various GRA locations around the city. However, all operations at the airports, warehouses and ports of entry will remain where they are for logistical reasons.
A statement from the GRA said that effective Monday, the agency’s operations housed at 210 ‘E’ Albert and Charlotte Streets, Georgetown are now located at the Clico Building. A visit to the building on Monday saw a small number of persons transacting business as staff of the VAT and Tax Advisory Services were still settling in.
“The GRA apologises to taxpayers for any inconvenience and requests their patience during this transitional phase as the organisation seeks to improve its services to the public through the consolidation of its operations at one location,” said the statement.
Taxpayers and other members of the public can now access services that include lodgement of tax returns, payments, communications and tax advisory services and hotline services.
Soon to come are the Customs and Trade Administration’s Customs House department, currently on Main Street, and the Licence Revenue Office on Smyth Street.
The GRA source said that the shift is being done in a phased manner so as not to interrupt the provision of various services the agency provides to the taxpaying public.
Asked about parking to accommodate the large number of vehicles that the services will necessitate, a source at the GRA said that this has been a consideration which has been catered for.
Earlier in the year, the GRA had hired a consultancy firm at a cost of $4.5 million under a competitive bidding process to prepare the building for occupancy.
In May this year, Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon announced that Cabinet had granted its no objection to a $227.1 million contract to complete and modify the building so that it could be occupied by the GRA.
At that time, Sattaur had noted that the cost of leasing the building should not exceed what it would have cost to rent all the buildings that the GRA currently occupies. Luncheon had said at a press conference that the GRA would have been paying a monthly rental of $10 million but at a later press conference he stated he had made an error and that the rental figure had not yet been settled. Efforts recently to reach Commissioner General Sattaur for confirmation on the rental amount for the building proved futile.
The departments to be housed in the Camp Street building are the Customs and Trade Administration, now on Main Street; the Licence Revenue Division, now on Princes and Smyth streets; the Value Added Tax (VAT) and Income Tax Divisions, now on Charlotte Street; and the Human Resources and Finance Division and the GRA Secretariat, which are now both located on Lamaha Street.
The NIS acquired the Clico building at a cost of $600 million as part of the liquidation of Clico’s assets.
