The Committee of Supply yesterday voted against an allocation of $170.4 million sought by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) for the provision of critical works at the CLICO building in order to facilitate the relocation of various offices of the revenue collecting agency.
The Committee had been in the process of examining Financial Papers 3, 4 and 5 in the National Assembly. The three papers passed albeit with reductions.
However, during the debate over the allocation, it was revealed that the agency has not as yet finalised a tenancy agreement with the owners of the property, the National Insurance Scheme (NIS).
In addressing concerns of the Opposition, Minister within the Ministry of Finance Bishop Juan Edghill said that the rental agreement is not yet concluded. In response to an Opposition question on the monies already spent to prepare the building for occupancy, the Minister said that whatever was already expended will be recouped as part of the rental arrangement with the NIS.
Edghill said that to date, the Government has spent $480 million on the CLICO building in preparing it for occupancy by the GRA. This is outside of the $170M sought yesterday, he said.
He said too that while parking arrangements are also being considered for visitors to the property, this was not a part of the consideration of the funds sought in the financial paper.
When the question was put to consider the allocation, the Opposition using their majority in the House voted against it.
At the end of August, various departments of the GRA began shifting to the CLICO building as use of the old locations was gradually phased out. It was announced by the GRA that by the end of this year all of the departments would have been fully relocated to the building.
A Partnership for National Unity Member of Parliament Jaipaul Sharma questioned the wisdom of the GRA’s relocation to the building with no occupancy or tenancy agreement in place. The Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman also echoed similar sentiments.
Following the passing of the financial papers and the associated Supplementary Appropriations Bill, Prime Minister Sam Hinds as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs requested that the House stand adjourned to Thursday, January 3, 2013.
