Things went vastly astray under Khurshid Sattaur

Jan 26, 2016 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I note with disbelief the revelations made by the former GRA Commissioner General, Mr. Khurshid Sattaur in the Kaieteur News (Saturday January 23, 2016) about him being asked to do illegal things under this present administration. As an employee of this entity I would like this newspaper to permit me the space to  describe heart-breaking  things  that occurred under the former tax boss’ reign.
First off Mr. Sattaur stated that he was ask to settle taxpayers cases for meagre sums that would have cost the country billions of dollars in revenues.  Under Mr. Sattaur’s watch the GRA and the country was losing billions of dollars in revenues.  There are a few companies that paid little or no taxes and when the time arose for them to pay taxes the Heads for certain sections would have meetings with these companies and come to some arrangement, especially when they have to get a compliance or some document that would entail they don’t owe the GRA any money or are in the process via payment arrangement to settle the amounts.
One section that deals with payment arrangement is the Debt Management Division and upon instruction from that section, certain persons were allowed to access compliances upon their assurance they would settle the sums due. Low and behold some of those companies and at times individuals would not honor their obligation. On the other hand, the same section would pursue certain companies and individuals to pay sums that weren’t even a fraction of what some of the “big boys” owe before they get a compliance. Persons were promoted who did not have the requisite qualifications and who were acting for a considerable period before they were suitably qualified.
When the Intelligence section was “revived” in 2012 after the last scandal, a certain manager chose the staff that he knew. Persons were called for interviews and surprisingly persons that had already finished level 2 ACCA and had the relevant experiences were overlooked whilst persons from Debt Management who didn’t complete the level 2 ACCA and certainly didn’t have the relevant experiences along with other persons from the Examinations Division where selected. Persons complained since this was unfair but who listened? Those under-qualified and underexperienced individuals were selected by their friend- a certain senior manager  Further, the Head of a certain vital division is still under- qualified for that position even though he may have the relevant experience. I’m certain staff under this Head (ag) may be more qualified. Nothing has been done to correct this for many years. How a female staff who is listed as a friend of a certain big-wig was placed in charge of certain branch over persons that were way more qualified and certainly had a ton of experience more than that individual, in areas that would have been relevant to ensure the proper functioning of that office?  By GRA’s reluctance to do the right things, to pass instructions so the right procedures were followed, many staff were left feeling frustrated since there was no one to listen to their concerns.
Promotions occurred when the persons who had questionable records of service. The Remission division has many untold questions relating in particular to getting duty free letters. A certain individual in that division when one or more of those scandal occurred has been reassigned in the capacity of senior manager despite it’s a known fact that he played a role and had to have some knowledge of what was happening under his nose since regular staff could not have carried out such a scheme without the input of some senior help. This same senior manager has been accused many times over of victimizing persons that would not pay up.
In relation to the rehiring of persons who were previously dismissed for corrupt practices and placed in senior positions, that too needs to be highlighted. Those re-hired were involved in big scandals. Many employees the past ten years were involved in schemes and they were not fired.  Accusations from taxpayers about staff collecting money to understate audit findings, Customs Officer collecting money to push people’s documents, and “runnings” in the Enforcement Division have all fallen on deaf ears. Those things warranted investigation but many times they were swept under the rug.
In an unrelated matter, Mr. Sattaur used to talk to subordinates in a manner not suited for someone who held a position like him. If given the chance I’m certain the response that I have provided will be confirmed by many of my co-workers.
I’m kindly asking the new board to not fall asleep like the previous board, on matters that can affect the performance of all members of staff from the Commissioner-General right down to the cleaners since we all play an important role in the daily effective functioning of the activities of the GRA. Happy employees are productive employees and that’s what the GRA needs and that’s what will take us forward. A great step was taken when the new boss took time out of his busy schedule to listen to the voice of all staff last year when a meeting was held at the Cultural Centre.
Thank you all and we the staff of GRA look forward to a productive working relationship with you. Further, I would like to recommend that persons that are overly qualified and have the relevant experiences be taken into consideration for promotion instead of hiring persons off the road who may very well have the same qualifications but not the experience. There are many persons within the GRA that spent money and invested a lot of time to acquire qualifications and at the end of the day they are being overlooked when vacancies arise. Also all Divisional seniors within the GRA from time to time need to be trained so they become up to date with whatever changes may occur within the GRA, Many times due to lack of understanding or proper training mistakes are made and they can cause delay in the executing of duties to provide service to the public and also in the collection of revenue. Finally, like I stated above myself and a lot of other members of staff are not in agreement with persons that were dismissed for matters that are well known to the public, being re-hired. There are many persons who need jobs who are university graduates or holders of ACCA qualifications that don’t have a job so let’s give them a chance.
GRA employee (name supply)

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