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GRA uses video cameras to examine commercial goods

Feb 11, 2010 News

– Businesses resist new measures

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) says that it has implemented new measures, effective last Monday, which include examination of commercial goods using live images recorded by cameras.
However, some businesses are resisting the new measures, which are designed to weed out collusion with staffers, a statement the GRA said yesterday.
“These examinations are being done at the various GRA Customs locations in order to ensure transparency and to detect false declarations submitted by importers.”
According to GRA, many prominent members of the private sector are resisting this new measure, since they offer rewards to customs officers in order to cheat the system.
“These allegations have resulted in the implementation of this new system which is being used in many developed countries and allows for compliance with the customs laws.”
This system also requires that payments be made on all entries for which declarations have been made by the importers, in order to circumvent collusion between importers and customs officers, and to expedite the clearance of goods.
“For transparency, importers are required to obtain from the GRA’s Senior Manager or Manager, wharves, advice in writing on the status of the examination process or whether the goods have been flagged at a rate of 50, 75 or 100 percent or if any examination is needed before goods are released.”
The Risk Profiling Module in the Total Revenue Integrated Processing System (TRIPS) is used to determine the level of examination to be conducted.
GRA says that it is committed to working with businesses to ensure that goods are cleared in a transparent and timely manner and to promote compliance with the various customs regulations.
There have been several accusations leveled against Customs officials who allegedly took bribes and other forms of inducement to either look the other way when certain taxable goods come up for examination or reduce the valuation declaring it as something else.
Last year, staffers were charged and one employee evaded investigators and flew out of the country after it was found that hundreds of millions of dollars were stolen or defrauded from customs payments made by businesses.

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