Dear Editor,
I do not believe the City Council is serious about revenue collection, as this has now become an annual New Year statement with no effort to remedy the situation. I say this because the Council makes no effort to make payment convenient/seamless for taxpayers. In an age of digitization and technology, the Council continues to insist on cash and cheque payments which is a frustrating exercise.
Consumers’ time is important and having to wait in line for unduly long periods to make a payment does not encourage citizens to make these payments, despite their best intentions. Cheque payments also entail a second visit to the Council as receipts are not issued until the cheque clearing period has expired.
Guyana is developing rapidly, and for one of our key services /revenue collectors to be stuck in the past with a cash intensive payment system does not augur well. Utility companies and other institutions have collaborated with the commercial banks to afford consumers the convenience of making payments from their homes 24/7 and the City Council needs to move in this direction with haste if they are to change their tune of “revenue shortfall” in the immediate future. Consumers deserve better.
Sincerely,
A. Chase
