Members of the Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO) were informed about the tax regulations governing the gold mining industry and their obligations as taxpayers when they met officials of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) on Tuesday.
A release from the GRA said that the meeting was organised after the women miners had sought an audience with the GRA to clarify a number of issues relating to taxation as it applies to employers and employees.
Manager of Tax Advisory Services Division Naresha Bobb-Semple and Tax Specialist Tyrone Anthony led the discussions explaining the policies regarding income and property tax, entitlements, aspects of the mining law, the newly introduced mortgage interest relief (MIR), the legal obligation of every eligible individual to have a taxpayer identification number (TIN) and other relevant issues.
At the end of the meeting held at the GRA’s Camp Street headquarters, President of the GWMO Simona Broomes signalled her organisation’s willingness to conduct taxation awareness sessions with miners in interior locations, if necessary.
“We would love to have more sessions with you (GRA)… we can go out there to the miners and speak in their language, in the camps or wherever they are, both employees and employers about taxes,” Broomes said.
GRA said that the women miners were candid about the numerous challenges facing them as small scale miners and had inquired about duty-free entitlements for certain capital equipment; and whether tax defaulters could be granted amnesty if there was “a probable reason.”
