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Customs chief sent on annual leave
-Auditor General to investigate his duty free concession transaction
Customs chief, Lancelot Wills, has been sent on annual leave, days after questions were raised
Customs Head, Lancelot Wills
over the application process for a duty free concession from which he benefitted, according to an official of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) yesterday.
The confirmation would come after scathing criticisms by Opposition Parliamentarian, Juan Edghill, who called on Wills and GRA’s Commissioner-General, Godfrey Statia, to both be placed on administrative leave to facilitate an independent investigation.
This would be a major blow to the main tax collection agency of the state which had promised widespread reforms, under the new administration, to stamp out corruption and bring more transparency at the authority.
The decision to send Wills on leave was reportedly taken on Friday.
Wills reportedly shipped in a 2008 Toyota Harrier- a Sports Utility Vehicle —that would under normal circumstances attract more than $6M in duties and taxes.
The Customs head, who was promoted to that key post last year amidst a shakeup, however paid just over $180,000 in duties and taxes, instead of a $1.8M that he would have been required to pay had he been approved a duty free concession.
This is similar to what remigrants pay when they are approved for waivers.
The Toyota Harrier SUV, which was registered in January, was 2362cc (engine size). The “cc” or engine size is what GRA used to calculate the applicable taxes.
However, there are questions over the transaction. Wills, as Customs head, was rejected for a duty free concession last year November by the Department of Public Service.
The department’s Permanent Secretary, Reginald Brotherson, this past week explained that rejection was because the vehicle was more than eight years old and it was also over the 2000cc (cubic capacity) engine size that Wills would have been eligible for.
Under the laws, only Parliamentarians, judges and remigrants are allowed duty free concessions for vehicles over 2000cc.
The Customs chief reportedly received the blessings of GRA for the duty free concession. On Wednesday last, the GRA insisted that it has some flexibility to grant permission for staffers.
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