GRA issued $611.5M in income tax refunds last year

– sees shift to e-filing

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) issued more than 27,000 income tax refunds at a value of $611.5 million last year.
This is according to Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh’s Budget 2026 speech, which was released to the public.
“Improved processing time of income tax refunds in December, utilising new software […], allowed GRA to bulk process and payout more than 27,000 refunds at a value of $611.5 million,” the document states.
This is as a result of the Government’s continued investment in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure and digital solutions to make it easier for taxpayers to access services at the GRA.
Other notable improvements include the fact that over 68,000 persons filed their taxes electronically, a 48 per cent increase in e-filers in just one year. Walk-in filers declined by 49,838 filers, or by 28 per cent, reflecting a shift to e-filing.
“The PADNA App allowed taxpayers to present any document issued by the GRA, inclusive of TIN Certificate, Motor Vehicle Licence, Driver’s Licence and Vehicle Registration, and also allowed financial institutions to confirm validity via a PADNA Document Lookup interface. The 7B PAYE Deduction Form via an online facility allowed employers to upload deduction details and automatically generate 7B, email it to the employees or print and distribute it at the employers’ location,” Budget 2026 noted.
Furthermore, it was noted that electronic payment transactions grew to 9554 at a value of $87.5 billion compared to 2532 transactions in 2020 at a value of $11.8 billion.
Dr Singh’s budget speech emphasised that the Government’s main focus in revenue administration “is on ensuring revenue systems are efficient, less burdensome, coverage is widened, access to services is decentralised and application is equitable across taxpayers. ”.
In this regard, it was revealed that by March 2026, all taxpayers will be able to apply for compliances online, reducing the need to go to GRA offices. Further, by July 2026, all licences for drivers, businesses and motor vehicles will be printed at regional offices, removing the need for persons to visit the GRA Headquarters.
These initiatives, together with investments to support the deployment of a modern fleet of scanners at all major ports and airports to improve port security, will all help improve efficiency of operations and improve the taxpayer experience of interacting with the GRA.
Meanwhile, Budget 2026 noted that the Central Government recorded a deficit of $308.9 billion, or 5.5 per cent of GDP, in 2025.
Total current revenue, net of inflows from the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF), the Natural Resource Fund (NRF), and carbon credits, amounted to $459.3 billion, an increase of five per cent over 2024.
Tax revenue collections from the GRA amounted to $435.2 billion, while non-tax revenue totalled $24.1 billion.
Within the GRA, internal revenue collections amounted to $253.6 billion. Withholding and personal income taxes together declined by $36.7 billion, or 23.6 per cent. Personal income tax collections were lower due to the series of measures implemented to increase disposable income. At the same time, private sector corporation taxes grew by $20 billion, or 24 per cent.
Customs and trade taxes amounted to $51.4 billion, 27.3 per cent above 2024. Furthermore, value-added and excise tax collections amounted to $130.2 billion, 15.5 per cent above 2024. Value-Added Tax (VAT) on imported goods and services grew by 26.3 per cent to $38.8 billion. This more than offset the $2.9 billion decline in VAT on the domestic supply of goods, which fell to $46.5 billion. Excise tax collections amounted to $44.8 billion, an increase of 37.7 per cent above 2024.
According to Dr Singh, these developments reflect continued strong growth in business activity across the economy, as well as increased household consumption as a result of rising disposable income.
Meanwhile, non-tax revenue collections increased by $6.6 billion to $24.1 billion. This performance was driven by improved collections of rent, royalties and fees, fines and other charges, as well as higher transfers from Bank of Guyana profits.