AFC urges closer monitoring of supermarkets, stores operated by foreigners

Jul 16, 2026 News

(Kaieteur News) – The Alliance For Change (AFC) is urging closer monitoring of stores and supermarkets across Guyana that are operated by foreign nationals, noting that many are not adhering to Guyana’s laws and regulations.

In a statement on Tuesday the party said that, “The AFC found that many Chinese supermarkets are selling food products that carry no English description as is required and no expiry or ‘best by’ date. The health of our people is being put at risk. Further, it was noted that many Chinese and Brazilian stores and supermarkets fail to issue receipts to customers.”

It went on to say that they are not ‘mom and pop’ businesses and they gross millions of dollars and may very well be fueling “massive tax evasion and even money laundering.” The party is also claiming that it was discovered that some of the staff were also subjected to inhumane treatment.

The statement added that there is no separate washroom for the genders and staff do not have a lunchroom. In some stores it was noted that the lunch break is 20 minutes or less. The hours worked are also extensive and “with no overtime and NIS contributions paid. Most staff are paid in cash, and no pay slips are issued.”

AFC highlighted that these practices put the workers, NIS, the consuming public and the state’s coffers at risk and is calling “the Guyana Revenue Authority, the Ministry of Labour, the Guyana Competition and Consumers Affairs, NIS, Food and Drug Administration to carry out a national campaign to bring all stores and supermarkets into compliance. The responsible minister of government must ensure these exercises are carried out year-round,” the statement read.

Back in October of 2024 this publication reported that citizens were raising concerns about the viability of their enterprises and had called on government to urgently intervene.

Residents of Agricola took to the streets to protest the establishment of a Chinese supermarket in their area. Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo in response to a question by Kaieteur News on issue said that the regulatory bodies need to uniformly enforce the laws on the Chinese businesses. Jagdeo had explained that he was in contact with citizens who said they were being displaced by Chinese nationals establishing businesses in their communities. On the other hand, he said there were other business persons who are pro-Chinese and rent their properties to them for their businesses.

He said there were cases where Chinese business owners often times bypass regulatory approval and the agencies responsible for enforcing the regulations do not hold them accountable in accordance with the law.

“So, they (Guyanese) put up a building that breaches the building permits, no ventilation there on the building, they will get a visit from the inspector who says to sell pharmaceuticals, here you have to have proper ventilation, but next door there is a Chinese company selling pharmaceuticals but there is no ventilation whatsoever, they are not applying the law uniformly,” the VP said.

This is one of the other avenues that Guyanese are highlighting as a disadvantage and Jagdeo said that “the Guyana Revenue Authority does not pay careful attention for payment of VAT and other things, or hold them accountable for paying VAT and other taxes that they have to pay.

“So, we have made it clear to the regulatory bodies you have to enforce the laws uniformly and we believe that sometimes people are induced not to do that so we are paying careful attention to this,” Jagdeo said.

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AFC, foreigners, money laundering, tax evasion

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