Critical training to improve Customs Officers’ efficiency underway

Aug 24, 2016 News

A major training exercise for Customs Officers is underway, with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) announcing yesterday that performance remains a key focus.

GRA’s Deputy Commissioner-General, Hema Khan

According to the authority, the training programme started Monday at its Camp Street headquarters, and is titled “Customs Officer 1”. It was put together by a corps of experienced officers.
The training seeks to improve performance, promote career development and a quality of human resources that can deliver timely services to clients, the tax collection entity said.
Deputy Commissioner-General of GRA, Hema Khan, in her address, said that it was necessary to conduct in-house training as it is not readily available outside.
Given the large number of participants involved, the current programme has catered for training in two batches. Additionally, it was time-tabled for August, so as not to interfere with the staff complement needed for the holiday peak season.
According to GRA, there is additional training to follow.
“We’re hoping that when you are trained to carry out your job you will be able to carry out decisions at your level. In this way the delivery of service to the taxpayer can be done in a more timely and efficient manner,” the Deputy Commissioner-General said.

Some of the Customs Officers who are participating in the training exercise.

The Customs arm of the GRA monitors the country’s ports of entry to ensure that the laws and regulations for border trade are applied. Duties include examining container cargo and ship files, de-stuffing, rummaging (vessel and aircraft search) and reporting of vessels.
Deputy Head of Customs Excise and Trade Operations, Patrick Hyman, who will be one of the facilitators, said professionalism and striking balance between expeditiousness and “doing the right thing,” comes with the territory.
The programme will be ongoing for seven weeks, focusing on Customs and other Trade Legislations, Customs Release and Accounting of Cargo, Prohibitions and Restrictions, Warehousing, CARICOM and the introduction to Rules of Origin, Valuation Tariff structure and Classification, Smuggling, Vessel, Aircraft, Passenger and Baggage Search, Documentation related to Financing of International Trade, Remission and Exemption of Import and Export Taxes, among other things.
GRA has been under pressure to improve its customer service, with members of the public complaining of delays and corruption.
New management and a new Board of Directors have taken over the organization.

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