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Major shakeup at GRA… Two senior officials axed, Hema Khan named Deputy Head
By Jarryl Bryan
Promoted; new Deputy Commissioner General of GRA, Hema Khan; with Chairman Rawle Lucas, after the announcement
Citing the unsatisfactory performance of divisions within the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Chairman Rawle Lucas, revealed that there has been a major shakeup in management. While some officials have been promoted or reassigned, heads have rolled.Lucas revealed the officials who were axed to be Archana Joshi, at the time head of the Human Resource and Management Division and Jameel Baksh, who was head of Customs and Excise Operations. He put the decision down to poor performance and a need to get individuals more suited to the changes being made.
“We were not satisfied with the extent to which our revenue was being collected,” Lucas explained to members of the media at a press conference yesterday.
“So we thought it was in the best interest of the organization to make some changes.
“It was felt that we needed to have someone who we could rely on and understood the (transition) concept very well and could assist us in implementing the (transition) programme.”
With the fall of some, others have risen.
Axed; head of Customs and Excise Operations Jameel Baksh
Reassigned; Acting Commissioner General Ingrid Griffith will now head Corporate Services
Former Deputy Commissioner for Tax Operations, Ms. Hema Khan, will be assuming her full responsibilities as Deputy Commissioner General of GRA while International Trade Lawyer, Lancelot Wills, will take over the Customs portfolio from Baksh.
That is not all. Lucas revealed that Acting Commissioner General of GRA, Ingrid Griffith, has “opted” to proceed on leave. He stated that when she returned her new position would be as head of Corporate Services.
Lucas confirmed that Karen Chapman, who headed GRA’s Law Enforcement and Investigative division, has been reassigned to oversee GRA’s transition programme.
Head of Projects, Fitzroy Corlette, will be taking over this division.
“Currently, the GRA is a functionary type organisation. What we have found is that that organizational arrangement’s focus (was) insufficient to allow the GRA to maximize revenue collection.
“(Earlier) I had pointed out that some economic centers were not generating as much revenue as they ought to.”
Reassigned; head of Law Enforcement and Investigations Division Karen Chapman, has been reassigned to oversee GRA’s transition programme.
International Trade Lawyer Lancelot Wills will now head Customs
“But in addition to that, as the organisation is structured, it is not serving our tax payers well. For example, I was in Rupununi recently and the representatives of the Rupununi Chambers of Commerce asked to meet with me.”
“While there, one of the things they pointed at is that it would cost a businessman in Lethem close to $50,000 just to get a compliance certificate because the service is not provided (there). All the regions are being equipped to provide the full suite of services available in Georgetown.”
The last major shakeup at GRA had been in January, with former Commissioner General, Khurshid Sattaur, being fired after 12 turbulent years at the helm.
That had been the product of a unanimous decision taken by GRA’s governing Board of Directors.
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