GRA revamps to speed up container delivery time, reduce paperwork

Jan 10, 2017 News

With ongoing complaints about delays in clearing goods from the wharves, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is moving to introduce what it says is a world-class data system that reduces processing time and increase efficiency.

Head of the Customs Trade Administration, Lancelot Wills

The implementation of the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) is expected after a feasibility study is completed.
The programme will replace the current faulty TRIPS (Total Revenue Integrated Processing System) which has over time been going down.
ASYCUDA, officials said, will be modified to local conditions and will see Customs and the various departments at GRA fully interlinked for better information sharing.
Several representatives from the wharves, along with shipping agents and Customs brokers, gathered yesterday at GRA’s headquarters on Camp Street, Georgetown, for the first in a series of consultations.
Delivering opening remarks, the Head of Customs and Trade Administration, Lancelot Wills, disclosed that the new system will eventually result in enhanced trade, a paperless environment, implementation of international best practices and increased efficiency.
Wills explained that Guyana will be the last English-speaking country in the region to adapt the system, placing the country at an advantage to learn from the lessons of others.
The new system would be tailored to local needs and shorten the time take to expedite goods, he added.
The presentation was conducted by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Consultant, Terrence Leonard and Information Technology Specialist, Fabian Joseph.
Leonard, a former St. Lucian Customs Comptroller, disclosed that the benefits include better risk management, particularly of high-risk cargo, and systems to target the ‘bad guys’ despite them being the minority, and better efficiency.
Leonard also made reference to the need for the GRA to follow its international counterparts by working smarter and not necessarily harder.
He cited one example where it takes about seven days to process to clear a shipping container. The new system, if allowed to work properly, could reduce that time to one day.

GRA is moving to implement a new data system that will reduce paperwork and release container processing time by days.

For customers, E- payments could also be used and documents processed immediately, once verified.
Joseph, during his presentation, outlined how the ASYCUDA system will enable key sections of the GRA to be linked in real time, leading to better information sharing and better efficiency for processing documents.
Joseph said that linking the systems would result in a single platform thereby enabling better border management, capacity building, better management of government finances as remitted from the GRA and, overall faster processing of imported and exported goods and services.
The GRA will also be linked with relevant ministries including Finance, Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, and entities such as the Bank of Guyana and the Bureau of Statistics and any other which are deemed necessary to access information from the GRA.
The AYSCUDA system was created and launched in 1981 to assist countries by strengthening customs administrations. Implemented in three countries initially, the system is now used by many countries in the Caribbean, Central and South America, North America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Grenada was the last country to implement it in the Caribbean.
The United Nations-funded initiative is being facilitated at a minimal cost, since only the purchasing of software and training of technical staff is needed.
The feasibility study that is being funded by the UN, will garner information and feedback from the Private Sector Commission, the Information Technology and legal staff of the GRA, over the next week. It will conclude on January 19 with a presentation to the GRA’s top officials on a proposal to move forward with its implementation.
This latest initiative will follow a number of other measures to clamp down on corruption and improve collection.
Estimations are that up to 60 percent of taxes due are not paid.
Last week, Cabinet approved a $30M contract for Massy Technologies for the purchase of a scanner.
This is a major requirement for the shipping of goods via containers from Guyana to especially North America and Europe.

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