Amidst a probe into whether Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Commissioner-General Khurshid Sattaur leaked private taxpayer information, the governing board of the agency has authorised several policy changes which are intended to protect taxpayer data.
Chief among these changes is a prohibition on the storage of taxpayer data offsite. All data is expected to reside in a secure place which is the authorised central storage and retrieval system of the GRA and there is expected to be the implementation of a high standard with regards to its access.
At a press conference yesterday at the authority’s Camp Street main office yesterday, Chairman of the GRA board Rawle Lucas announced the changes while saying that an existing lack of trust and respect between taxpayers and the GRA is a recipe for disaster as it fuels taxpayer animosity and resistance.
Therefore, the board has enhanced policies drafted to ensure data protection. This new policy is now ready to be adopted.
The board, he said, intends to treat the protection of taxpayer data with the utmost sanctity and to ensure appropriate mechanism are in place to protect privacy, a step which is expected to build taxpayer confidence in GRA.
“The GRA is the only government institution that knows or is required to know all financial business of Guyanese. Information is knowledge and knowledge is power. Knowledge is one-sided in favour of GRA and therefore gives GRA inordinate power over taxpayers. The board understands that that power is not to be used for anything other than revenue collection. It is not intended to embarrass, ridicule, frustrate, torment or politicise the legitimate economic, social or political aspirations of Guyanese taxpayers. You are required to give up virtually all of your privacy to GRA as a taxpayer. In return GRA has no right to give up your right to anyone unless it is required to do so in the public interest or in accordance with the relevant laws. This is power you have which limited as it is must be protected at all times,” Lucas said.
Meanwhile, Lucas said that a recent seizure of property from the home of Sattaur was conducted by “mutual agreement.”
“Mr Sattaur himself offered a time when the GRA staff could come to collect the property. At no time was there a confrontational exchange between GRA staff and Mr Sattaur,” Lucas said.
Sattaur was asked to proceed on leave by the Board to facilitate a comprehensive audit of the agency by an international firm.
The Board has come under heavy criticism for what had previously been reported as a “search and seizure.”
The Private Sector Commission (PSC) in a statement yesterday said it was “both perturbed and concerned at this treatment of a very senior official who has not been formally accused of any wrongdoing.”
According to the PSC, “Sattaur has not been asked to resign and as such remains both the de jure and de facto head of the GRA. In the circumstances, if his electronic communication devices were required for purposes of the investigation, then the proper procedure would have entailed a request to Mr. Sattaur to hand these over to the Board.”
Lucas, however, clarified that the board was never interested in Sattaur’s private property.
“The only asset we were interested in were the property of the taxpayers and the property of the government of Guyana. The only thing we were interested in seizing were the data or information he had that pertained to the work of the GRA,” Lucas stated.
According to Lucas, the GRA property that was in the possession of Sattaur included six vehicles. One of these vehicles is a golf cart. So far, four of these vehicles have been removed from Sattaur’s possession. He retains possession of two vehicles, including the golf cart.
In addition, the agency has also discontinued a connection that allowed Sattaur to access the GRA servers from his home and is investigating claims that Sattaur has in the past leaked private taxpayer information.
Lucas stressed that the staff at no time demonstrated discourtesy or disrespect for Sattaur.
He also emphasised that taxpayer information is the property of government and that the board must at all times be satisfied that all taxpayer information is where it should be at all times.
“Anyone found with taxpayer information where they should not be will be fully investigated,” he said.
