GRA to clampdown on illegal sale of alcohol countrywide

Jul 31, 2019 News

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) will soon move in the direction of clamping down on the illegal sale of alcohol countrywide. This is according to GRA’s Senior Manager of the Communications and Tax Advisory Department, Janet Abbensetts.
In an interview yesterday, surrounding claims of alcohol being sold illegally at several locations around the Stabroek, Georgetown area, Abbensetts said that she will immediately engage her department and send out an investigative team into the reported areas, especially since the sale of alcohol, not under the legal avenues, can be costing the entity much deserved revenue.
There have been continuous reports of locations around the country engaging in the sale of illegal alcohol. The aforementioned area in particular has gone under the radar. Investigations have revealed that several rum shops are springing up around the city selling alcohol without licences. This also includes persons operating ‘push carts’ and selling alcohol illegally from refrigerators on the Sophia, South Ruimveldt, Plaisance and other bus parks.
A fully-fledged open air rum shop is operating in full view outside the Demico House Fast Food Outlet on a nightly basis. Tents have been erected to accommodate large groups of supporters who flock the area to purchase alcohol at black-market prices.
In March 2019, GRA had launched a campaign against illegal rum shops and bars around the country. During that campaign, they had warned business to ‘regularise or feel the brunt of the law’.
This had come on the heels of the Authority’s observation that there had been an increase in the number of bars/liquor shops selling alcohol without being duly licensed. As such, GRA had announced that it “would like to remind owners that this practice is illegal in accordance with Section 79 of the intoxicating Liquor Licensing Act Chapter 82:21”
The Act states that, “Everyone found selling, or offering, or exposing for sale, any spirituous liquor or any wine or malt liquor at any place other than in a place or premises duly licensed under this Act, who does not produce a licence authorising the sale or the offering or exposing for sale, of wine, malt liquor, or spirituous liquor at the time when and at the place where he is so found selling it, or offering it for sale may be arrested by the Commissioner and anyone authorised by him and detained until he can be brought before a Magistrate and dealt with according to law, and the wine, malt liquor or spirituous liquor, so sold or offered or exposed for sale, with the packages containing it, shall be seized and forfeited.”
In late 2018, GRA had also seized hundreds of cases of liquor, which had none of the special security-featured revenue stamps on them. The sudden raids had targeted major hotels and restaurants. Reports had indicated that more than 750 cases were seized.
The visits reportedly involved several officials of GRA’s Law Enforcement and Investigation Division.

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GRA to clampdown on illegal sale of alcohol countrywide

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