GRA officers accused of forging signatures on duty-free letters

May 11, 2012 News

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) say that it is investigating two officers after the signatures on a number of letters granting duty free concessions were found to be forged.
The concessions were for All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and other heavy duty vehicles used in the mining industry.
Yesterday, GRA said the fake signatures were affixed to Remission of Duty Letters (commonly referred to as CG or Tax Exemption letters) used for issuing duty-free concessions for the ATVs and the mining equipment which under normal circumstances would have attracted concessions for eligible applicants.
“The detection was made as part of the routine system of checks and balances in place to prevent such occurrences. The officers found culpable, denied the allegations, but irrefutable evidence from the records of the Division which facilitates tax exemptions, has implicated them,” GRA said.
According to Commissioner-General, Khurshid Sattaur, “This is once again a typical case of putting systems to safeguard the state’s revenues and these are being deliberately undermined by very junior ranks out of greed and reckless conduct on their part in collusion with the owners of businesses. The officers’ integrity has obviously being compromised because of the inducement offered and greed.”
Sattaur said that the agency’s Total Revenue Integrated Processing System (TRIPS) has once again proven how invaluable it is to have accountability. “While we would never be able to avoid these occurrences in the future, we can however detect them, weed out the corrupt elements and take them to task swiftly. Fortunately all of these irregular situations leave an audit trail that not only identifies the officers involved, but more importantly, the taxpayer who would have paid the inducement to corrupt the system.”
Such acts, GRA pointed out, are typical of the practices engaged by some elements of the private sector, who seek to evade the payment of their fair share of taxes. It noted that this leads to the GRA being accused of being corrupt or harbouring corruption. It is also too early to precisely determine the level of revenues involved, if any.
“It would appear to be more a case of paying officers in order to avoid complying with the necessary documentary requirements, commonly referred to as ‘expedition’ inducement”, GRA said.
When all the evidence has been gathered, the matter will be placed in the hands of the Guyana Police Force for full investigation.
“I hope and would expect that the guilty parties, both the officers and the businessmen, are charged and placed before the court,” Sattaur said.

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GRA officers accused of forging signatures on duty-free letters

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