Near-zero tax plan unveiled to push small agri-businesses into formal sector 

To encourage small and medium-sized enterprises in the agriculture sector to become formally registered, President Dr Irfaan Ali announced that his Government will introduce a new taxation system under which these businesses could pay little to no corporate tax.
During the opening of GuyExpo on Thursday evening, President Ali spoke of introducing a “graduated corporate tax regime” for agro-processing businesses, by level of turnover, which will be defined in Budget 2026.
“This system will be graduated to the extent that small and medium-sized enterprises in the agri-business ecosystem would see close to zero or zero in corporate tax. This will incentivise our agriculture businesses to register themselves so they’re not afraid of the taxation system, so they become compliant, so we can help them to build their standards, and we can help them to adopt the value system that will give them access to regional and international markets,” he explained.
The President also announced that this new taxation system will see zero per cent on all agriculture, veterinary input, and agro-processing input within the existing trade framework.
These measures, President Ali noted, are intended to transform Guyana into the largest agro-processing economy in this hemisphere.
“The building out of mega food parks. We will replicate the mega food parks across different regions with different focus…We will have a dynamic integration with agro-industrial integration. We will expand our investment in research and development… We will create value chain and market access. We will pilot blockchain-based traceability for exports of our commodity. We will launch a food innovation fund, especially focusing on youth and young people,” President Ali outlined.
Additionally, he said the Government will have special incentives for agro-processing and agri-value chain investment, for large-scale cold storage facilities, and for land conversion that leads to sustainable income and income diversification.
“What do I mean? Our small and medium-sized farmers, we’re going to help (them) to convert at least two acres in every 10 acres into livestock farming, swine production, small ruminants, and aquaculture. We are going to convert, help them, support them in converting two acres in every 10 acres that will allow them to achieve higher value of income, that will allow them to achieve diversification within their existing production frame, that will allow them to achieve resilience and profitability,” he explained.
In addition, President Ali said his Government will incentivise mega-scale livestock farming.