Dear Editor,
I would first like to congratulate you on the tremendous work you are doing at your respective posts and it is my wish that nothing but continued success is granted to you and the companies you represent.
I am writing as a concerned citizen who currently lives in the United States and recently visited Guyana last summer. I have spent several years living in the US and I try to visit Guyana every two years. Every time I visit I am overwhelmed with happiness and hope by the development and unwavering hospitality displayed by the residents of our great country. We should all be very proud of Guyana’s progress and the journey we are currently on.
My concern comes from an experience at the operations of the GRA. During my last visit I purchased an item in Guyana that costs thousands of USDs and was subsequently informed of my eligibility for a VAT refund since I am a US resident. During my departure I submitted the relevant documents at the airport and once I arrived back in the US in late August of 2013, I was contacted by a representative of the GRA who happily initiated the process of getting me a refund approval. This was completed in September of 2013 and was sent to GRA’s mail room for dispatch to me. I still have not received the refund and communications with GRA’s PR department are at best one-sided since I only hear from them if I first inquire, and usually the response is generic to the extent of, “We have been in contact with the relevant Senior Managers and we were advised that the GRA’s Mail Room dispatched the check via registered Post with the Guyana Post Office Corporation. We are unsure what has caused the delay.”
Now I know these procedures can take time, but I find it appalling that this is taking so long, especially since this can potentially harm tourism in Guyana. I sincerely urge someone to look into this and become a proponent for change by advocating a streamlined procedure to deal with VAT refunds.
Yours faithfully,
Michael Jones
