Dear Editor,
The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has taken note of the letter written by Mr. Nicholas McDavid in Stabroek News on Monday, October 27, 2014 claiming that staff of the GRA were “out to lunch” when he went to transact business on Friday Oct. 24, 2014.
Mr. McDavid acknowledged that he went to the office at the time of the lunch break but did not specify the particular section in the GRA that was unavailable at the time.
The GRA appreciates the feedback and will continue to endeavour to institute change with the taxpayers’ comfort in mind.
It should be noted that Management is serious about the rules and regulations governing the semi-autonomous body and would move with haste to launch an investigation, if warranted, into the claim of misconduct by staff.
The GRA understands the importance of quality service, especially in an organization that is responsible for tax administration, revenue collection and the promotion of voluntary compliance. The GRA also shares Mr. McDavid’s view about the need for the right business ethics and mentality.
At the same time, the GRA is concerned that Mr. McDavid might have created a vague impression when he stated “I have never been to any country, in all my travels, where you cannot make a business transaction because every single person has gone to lunch at the same time!”
It is on this basis that the GRA is compelled to remind McDavid and all those who are ignorant of the rules, about its statutory work hours. These rules, I am sure Mr. McDavid would agree are common in several other institutions.
The working hours are from 8:00 hours to 15:30 h from Monday to Thursday and 8:00 hours to 14:30 h on Fridays, with a one-hour lunch break from 12 to 1 pm.
It should be noted however, that because of the proportionally large numbers of taxpayers at the GRA on a daily basis some sections like Registration, Licence Revenue (application and renewal) and the cashier departments remain functional during the midday recess to expedite transactions.
Such a deliberate decision took into consideration, congestion, waiting time and the difficulty with parking on the busy Camp Street area, as Mr McDavid admitted to have experienced in his letter.
The GRA regrets the inconvenience Mr. McDavid might have experienced and can only urge that he makes a fervent effort to visit the agency during the normal working hours since the information contained in his letter indicates that the transaction he wished to carry out was not one which is facilitated during the lunch hours.
Yours faithfully,
Khurshid Sattaur
Commissioner-General
GRA
