New licensing system unearths bogus documents

Jun 30, 2009 News

– over 50,000 vehicle licences sold so far
As the deadline for the acquisition of vehicle licences ended, the Guyana Revenue Authority has recorded a record 50,000 in sales of the mandatory document.
And with the new computerised licencing system, the GRA has been able to nab several bogus Certificates of Registration and licences. Over time, these had caused a significant loss in revenue.
Since the beginning of the year, the Licence Revenue Office of the GRA has been subjected to long queues of persons desperate to acquire the document before the deadline expired.
Yesterday, Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur, said that because of teething problems due to the new system, the deadline for the purchase of the licences was extended on two occasions and staff were forced to work extra hours.
However, this move has paid significant dividend as the GRA has now placed a tab on some major discrepancies that obtained in the past.
According to the Commissioner General, since the implementation of the new system, the GRA has been able to identify a number of false licences that were issued to unsuspecting and willing persons.
“We’ve seen a few of them; they are in the system, they are circulating. They look like the original but it’s not,” Sattaur said.
He said that there were immediate checks of the system and the measures now put in place will allow for the easy recognition of such bogus documents.
“Once we find somebody with a bogus licence that person has to answer the question.” He said that he understands the reasons for some of the complaints about the news system, but he stressed that the initial hurdles were worth it.
He assured that come next year it will be much easier to access the licences and Certificates of Registration at a much faster rate at all GRA locations throughout the country.
“The same exercise will be far simpler, easier to manage and monitor, and the police will be happy with this arrangement,” Sattaur said.
A number of persons in an attempt to evade paying customs duties have engaged in the practice of bribing officials to obtain false documents. Sattaur appealed to persons who may have illegal Certificates of Registration to come in to the GRA and regularise the status.
Failing to do so he warned, will result in massive fines as stipulated by the law. He said that these persons should come forward and mitigate with the GRA to work out a plan to pay the required duties.
“Those who are caught by the police could face imprisonment, so I’m telling those people who have false number plates to come in and regularise it now,” the Commissioner General said.