The Commissioner General (CG) of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is again in the news. This time, he is reported to have decided not to proceed to give evidence in the trial of the Kaieteur News publisher who was charged by the Police for issuing threatening language to the CG in a telephone conversation with him.
The CG issued a statement subsequently in which he maintained that the publisher had threatened him but contended that the delay by the authorities in laying charges and the “negative attention” the case had drawn, have influenced his decision not to pursue the matter. He expressed the hope that the GRA would be removed from the spotlight, as “the staff were beginning to feel the fatigue from the excessive public attention”. The CG further stated that because of the delay, there was a perception that there might be some difficulty in pursuing the charges with possible negative implications, and that in view of the manner in which the issue was pursued in the media no public good can be served. He added that the GRA has a greater public interest to serve in time in ensuring that it fulfills its mandate in the assessment and collection of tax revenues.
Need for a display of quiet competence
It is good that the CG has chosen this course of action. One hopes that he will now devote greater energies to carry out assessments of those who flaunt unexplained wealth with impunity. He does not have to look far to