TIN certificate not VAT certificate: August 14, 2007
The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) wishes to clarify to the general public that the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) certificate is not the same as a Value Added Tax (VAT) certificate.

The VAT certificate is issued to persons who are registered with the GRA under the VAT law and authorizes them to charge, collect and remit the VAT to the GRA at the stipulated time.

The TIN certificate on the other hand is issued to all taxpayers and persons who conduct business with the GRA.

As part of the GRA’s reform measures it has introduced the TIN, a single nine-digit number as the one and only number persons use when conducting business with any of the GRA’s departments.

Unlike the VAT where there is a threshold requirement for registration, there is no threshold requirement for obtaining a TIN.

The TIN application process takes about 10 minutes and the certificate can be obtained within 48 hours after application. While the TIN may be issued almost immediately, Supervisor of the Registry, Ms. Corrine Williams noted that the process is not completed until the TIN certificate is issued.

GRA is therefore urging persons who have applied for their TIN to collect their TIN certificate from the Registry, Internal Revenue, GPO Building, Robb Street. 

From January 2008, persons are expected to use only their TIN when conducting business with the GRA. This means that for the next period of submission of income tax returns, which is April 30 2008, all returns must carry a TIN.

Taxpayers, who have not applied for a TIN, are encouraged to do so early and to complete the process by uplifting their certificate.

The use of the TIN is expected to contribute to greater transparency and accountability by both taxpayers and the GRA and encourages compliance with the various tax laws.