Guyana Revenue Authority: The irrationality of a country

Apr 28, 2022 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

Kaieteur News- If you earn an official income, you have to submit annual tax returns to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). Much to its credit, the GRA has allowed PAYE submitters to drop off their returns at different locations rather than the central GRA office, which is essentially a nightmarish experience for anything you go there to do.
I am illiterate when it comes to finance complexities. My wife does my annual submissions from my earnings as a Kaieteur News columnist (I need a raise of pay). Before I proceed, let me write once more that I would like to thank Christopher Ram for compiling my property tax for seven consecutive years for free in 2014 after then GRA head, Khurshid Sattaur directed that I do so or face prosecution. Imagine a church mouse like me had to pay property tax. Mr. Sattaur died two years ago so we should not speak ill of the dead, so let’s move on.
Yesterday, I was into my matutinal routine of taking my dog to the National Park for my daily exercise. The GRA has a drop box at the Giftland Mall which was a beautiful convenience for me because I live two minutes drive to Giftland. At about 8:30 AM, I turned into Giftland to deliver my PAYE returns.
The security rank told me that the drop box is situated inside the mall and the opening hour is 10AM. I could not believe this was happening. If the mall opens at 10AM why put the operation inside rather than outside the building where there are several locations outside the mall that offer protection from sun and rain?
This could not be right. This could not be logical. This had to be irrationality that confounds the mind. Here is why. If you are living in Georgetown or on the East Bank and you go to work on the East Coast, you simply turn into Giftland and drop off your documents in two boxes that the GRA provides.
If you are living on the East Coast, on your way to work in Georgetown, you turn into Giftland and drop if off. Employees cannot do that because the mall only opens at 10AM. So all those employees that could not drop off their stuff at 8:30AM would have to leave their place of employment during working hours to go to Giftland to submit their returns.
There are two places quite near to Giftland that could accommodate citizens at 8:30AM. One is the Aquatic Centre which is directly opposite Giftland Mall. The other is Massy supermarket which opens its door to the public sharply at 8AM. So why Giftland?
If there is a God then only he can understand a nation named Guyana. I went back to Giftland and put my stuff in the box and went home and typed a letter to the GRA boss, Godfrey Statia. I went to the GRA to deliver the letter. I reached the place, went inside, then, something told me not to bother. I destroyed the letter. Mr. Statia never replied to two letters I wrote to him before. I could never get to speak to Mr. Statia. I figure it would be a waste of my effort. I regretted I used my gas to drive to Camp Street.
But here is what I learnt from a gentleman I met inside the building. He engaged me and I told him the purpose I was at the GRA. While chatting, he said something to me that at the time of writing, I don’t know if it is true. At the time of writing, I haven’t enquired from anyone about what this fellow told me.
He said that when you go to renew your driver’s licence, they send you to the cashier, you then take the receipt and expired licence to an attendant and right there and then you get a new licence. So I asked him how that is possible because they have to stamp the new expiration date on the document.
He said he does not know how they do it but he is certain that you are getting a new one right away. Is this true? Can someone email me at fredkissoon@yahoo.com or call me at 614-5927. I need to know this because I have to renew mine. Do they have the machine to give you a digitalised driver’s licence right away? I mean that happens in other countries but does it happen in Guyana? And if so, then why can’t you get a renewed passport right away? My family and I have to renew our passports very soon. If there is a God, can he spare us the hassle?
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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