GRA toughens actions on delinquent taxpayers: May 2, 2007
The administration of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is taking measures to strengthen the policing of the various tax laws it administers.

This is according to Commissioner-General of the GRA, Mr. Khurshid Sattaur who said that among the measures being taken is to ensure that delinquent taxpayers face the full force of the law through the institution of legal proceedings. 

Mr. Sattaur said that among those areas which the GRA is seeking to enforce compliance are: the non filing of tax returns, failure to maintain proper records, the issuance of false declarations of income and other taxes, non-payment of taxes, and other non submissions by employees and employers.

The Commissioner-General noted that there are provisions within the law for the GRA to prosecute tax defaulters noting that there is a high number of delinquents.
“With the introduction of the Total Revenue Integrated Processing System (TRIPS),” Mr. Sattaur said, “delinquents can be easily detected.”

Mr. Sattaur noted that in seeking to remedy delinquency for the various offences, the GRA has not ruled out stronger enforcement of the law through the legal process. However, the “sheer volume of the various target groups will require expanding the capacity and operations of the Legal Division in order to meet such demands”.

The GRA over the years has encountered tremendous challenges in addressing tax delinquents and is committed to putting the necessary systems in place to meet these challenges.