Parking woes continue to beset the Guyana Revenue Authority at its Camp Street HQ and it has reversed plans to allow taxpayers to use a lot opposite for parking and the sprawling car park along Lamaha St will now be made available to other users.
A GRA press release issued today follows:
Despite repeated attempts to set the record straight on the use of the parking facility opposite the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Headquarters on Camp Street, concerns and queries by taxpayers on the issue of parking facilities continue to mount, much to the Authority’s surprise.
The GRA had made the facility available to taxpayers at a minimum fee, as it sought to resolve once and for all the problematic traffic situation that was created when both staff and taxpayers were utilising Camp Street for parking.
However, after the GRA had opened the lot in late January this year for the benefit of taxpayers, occupation was dismal and there was a high degree of reluctance to pay for parking.
The notion that the facility should be free was ruled out by the fact that the Authority does not own this lot. The GRA had also reiterated that it is not associated with any fees charged for its use.
After weeks of review and the notable disinterest towards the lot, management was promoted to instead utilise the space for staff parking, for which a fee is attached. Taxpayers who henceforth seek to utilise the lot for parking will be denied access.
It should also be noted that plans were also put in place, through the help of a foreign developer, to prepare the Lamaha railway embankment to facilitate staff parking after the GRA had surrendered a lot it had previously occupied at the corner of Camp and Quamina Streets.
However, underutilisation of the Lamaha lot by staff resulted in the GRA extending the offer to vehicle owners of other entities. Since then a positive response has been noted.
Even though the interventions by the GRA did little to achieve the desired results, the Authority wishes to reiterate that it remains committed to convenient parking and order in the busy sections of the capital. However, with the parking situation still hovering, the inconvenience taxpayers who have been utilising the facility now face is regrettable.
