Despite claims by the opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), there has been no appointment of a new Commissioner-General for the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).
This is according to Ministry of Finance Public Relations Officer Wanita Huburn, who told Stabroek News yesterday that applications for both the positions of Commissioner-General and Deputy Commissioner-General remain open.
The PPP/C, in a press statement, claimed to have received reports that a new Commissioner-General had been appointed “while there continues to be advertisement in the media for the vacant position.”
The statement referred to the “reported appointment” as a “slap in the face of public concerns about transparency and accountability as practiced by the Granger coalition government.”
When contacted by Stabroek News, General Secretary of the PPP Clement Rohee said he was “unaware” who the reported new Commissioner-General was. GRA first advertised for a new Commissioner-General on March 24, 2016, after former office holder Khurshid Sattaur was sacked. The deadline for applications is May 3, 2016.
Sattaur was let go after he admitted to having breached his oath of office by releasing private taxpayer data, according to Chairman of the GRA Board Rawle Lucas, who said it was among several discoveries that were made. Sattaur has challenged the reasons given for his sacking.
