Latest update April 20th, 2024 12:59 AM
Mar 12, 2014 News
The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) yesterday unveiled its online and telephone banking (telebanking) payment option systems.
Speaking on the new online banking system was GRA’s Public Relations Manager Marcia Harris who explained that because of the accommodation challenges faced by the GRA the impetus was made to have the entity’s banking service online so that persons can file and pay their taxes on GRA’s website without having to physically come in to the headquarters at Camp Street.
Harris explained that the Authority wanted this service available before the major due date for filing of persons’ income and public tax returns on April 30 of this year, so that taxpayers would be able to have a more comfortable experience when it comes to making payments of their taxes.
“With the launching of our online taxpayers’ system persons will not be required to visit this location physically. They can do it in the comfort of their homes, offices or anywhere they can get internet access or if you have a mobile phone to do that,” Harris said.
Additionally, she explained that GRA’s payment services will be available for persons who do not have access to the internet since the entity “would’ve partnered with Grace Kennedy Remittance Services. So you can pay your taxes at any Bill Express location and that commences from today [yesterday] with the launch of this initiative.”
Harris also explained that the persons can pay their taxes through their preferred banks. She said that it is available right now at Demerara Bank, and others are such as Republic Bank and Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) will be offering this service shortly. Among the taxes that persons can pay at the banks are Income and Property Tax, Corporation Tax and also pay for their motor vehicle licences.
According to Harris, the GRA has also been an organization that is unfortunately perceived as being corrupt by persons in many quarters. “We also believe that with the launching of these two initiatives that perception will be eliminated because taxpayers will no longer interfere with our staff here at the GRA. You will no longer have to come here to make your payments. You can make them in the comfort of your own homes. There is no taxpayer there to bribe or official to ask for a bribe or an inducement. So we will be able to reduce that perception of the GRA being corrupt.”
This is a position that Commissioner-General Khurshid Sattaur shared as he articulated that “there will be limited interaction and intermingling with the GRA staff, making it less likely that you would have to indulge in any kind of unhealthy practices. Therefore that will turn the tide of us being accused of being a mischievous organization that is engaged in a lot of corrupt practices and make us an organization that is transparent and accountable for the work that we do.”
Pronouncing on the launching of the online payment option, Sattaur said he is proud of the initiative, which he stressed was a priority and has been a little while in the making. He said that the initiative comes at an opportune time since it has been challenging with the influx of taxpayers all located at one building and compounding it, was the difficulty taxpayers have to find suitable locations to park their vehicles to conduct business.
He is hopeful that with this online banking facility and its spreading to other locations, this can alleviate to some extent the great amount of congestion and parking woes that GRA is experiencing.
According to Sattaur, this initiative is also as a result of embracing information technology at a higher level and much more of this would be happening during the course of this year. As GRA takes on a technologically advanced system, major improvements will be seen in the way that the tax system is rolled out to the taxpayers.
The Commissioner-General expressed that not only will taxpayers have access to their bank through internet services, but they will be able to have access to their bank through the GRA website.
“That is something in the future and not too far from now… You will not only be able to pay your taxes through the internet, but also make submissions of your returns… your C72 declarations. So you will have a lot of facilities that will enhance the way you do business at GRA.”
To further alleviate the congestion, Sattaur promised that tax sites will be developed at other out-of-town locations.
Where is the BETTER MANAGEMENT/RENEGOTIATION OF THE OIL CONTRACTS you promised Jagdeo?
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