GRA to re-establish office at Kurupukari Crossing in bid to halt illegal vehicles

…was forced to close office due to corruption – Commissioner General

After previously closing down the outpost due to corrupt staff, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) will be re-establishing its office at the Kurupukari Crossing in Region Eight on the border with Brazil.
This was confirmed by GRA Commissioner General Godfrey Statia, who appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday and was questioned about what was being done to address the issue of vehicle smuggling.
With the GRA working to clamp down on this scourge, PAC member Ganesh Mahipaul questioned what had happened to the authority’s office at the Kurupukari Crossing. The crossing is just a few hours away from Lethem and features a pontoon that ferries people across the Essequibo River.

“We used to have a presence there. But I closed it down. But we’re putting back one now. The reason we closed it down is because there was tremendous amount of collusion. We were paying people overtime, all kind of things there, and we weren’t getting any kind of revenues,” the Commissioner General explained.
“So, what we did, we instituted different measures to try and catch them at the Mabura Road area. So, we have to use alternative ways of finding them, rather than having a permanent presence there and we don’t get any returns on our investment.”
Statia noted that the agency is able to identify vehicles from Brazil, even when local number plates have been placed on them. He explained that in a case of an illegal vehicle trying to camouflage itself as a local one, the GRA would seize the vehicle.
“When they pass Kurupukari, that is when we say it shouldn’t pass there. It has to be within that region. They have to get permission from the GRA and the Police. So as soon as we see them in Georgetown, we know.”
“And we stop them. That’s why they put on a local number plate when they’re in town. So, when we find them with local number plates in town, we seize those vehicles,” Statia informed the committee.
The Auditor General report of 2019 had listed as much as 195 vehicle seizures for that year. Illegal vehicles entering Guyana continues to be a problem, according to the Commissioner General.
The GRA has always made it clear that a zero-tolerance approach is being adopted against smuggling and any form of tax evasion; and, as such, offenders may face penalties as stipulated under the laws, inclusive of prosecution.
It has also issued warnings over the use of unregistered vehicles and the misuse of trade plates on vehicles traversing the country’s roadway. There are laws governing the use of unregistered vehicles and trade plates and failure to comply will result in the tax regulatory body and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) taking action.
In notices published in the media, the GRA noted that it has observed with concern the increase in the number of unregistered motor vehicles traversing the public roadways. It has reminded importers, investors, and owners of unregistered vehicles of the terms and conditions of the release of these vehicles from the city wharves, which restrict their use until after registration.
Persons have 14 days to take corrective actions and engage the customs, excise, and trade operations and licence revenue office to have those motor vehicles duly entered and registered.
Failure to comply will result in GRA and the Police collaborating to have such vehicles detained.
Regarding the use of trade plates, GRA noted further that it continues to observe with great concern, the number of motor vehicles affixed with trade plates that are using public roadways.
In some cases, the tax agency said that motor vehicles can be seen affixed with the same trade plate number assigned to a particular auto dealer.
In light of this, it had reminded in a notice earlier this year that trade plates are mainly intended for movement of vehicles cleared from the wharves, to move to premises, and to facilitate registration. (G3)