More than six weeks after Kaieteur News reported on the seizure of two luxury cars from a city auto dealer, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has confirmed that there was an attempt to evade taxes.The GRA,Wholesale Jerseys From China, in a release, yesterday, said that the two Jaguars, which are usually over 3,000cc, were declared as 1,498cc according to Customs entries.The seized Jaguar cars.“Subsequent to this, duty and taxes were paid amounting to over $3.9M rather than the $10.6 M that would have been paid had the declarations been correct. On June 14,Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys, last, following an investigation the vehicles were detained and held in the Customs and Trade Administration compound. On July 23,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, 2010 the vehicles were removed and secured at the Warehouse located at Eccles, East Bank Demerara.”According to the agency, the matter in question was detected as a result of the initiative taken by GRA to minimise tax evasion and avoidance; and the mechanisms and internal control measures that have been put in place to protect revenue and prevent revenue losses.“It has been the observation of the revenue authority that many members of the business community have been utilising every means necessary to avoid paying the necessary duties and taxes on their imports. Common in this scheme is the under-declaration of the actual value of goods.“This practice has resulted in the state being denied revenues that are due thereby resulting in hindrances to the overall development of the country.”According to GRA Commissioner-General, Khurshid Sattaur, the agency will not condone such practices. Any evidence of tax evasion will result in the guilty parties being fined and prosecuted.According to GRA, maintaining its integrity has always been the primary concern and a number of measures have been put in place to reduce and eventually prevent tax evasion and revenue loss.GRA again contended that the publication of information can compromise ongoing investigation and is always cause for consternation.“The most recent being the July 29, 2010 article published in the Kaieteur Newspaper with a heading, ‘GRA seizes luxury cars in tax evasion probe’.”GRA also accused Kaieteur News of publishing the story without first making contact.In late July, GRA had condemned the Kaieteur News report on the seizure of the two cars and said that it believes that a number of its employees are being paid to release information.The GRA was specific enough to state that these employees are in the pay of Kaieteur News.The agency also condemned the publication of comments purportedly made by Commissioner-General, Khurshid Sattaur.In a press release the GRA said that Mr Sattaur’s expletive laden comments were “made off the record” to a reporter.“GRA is disappointed that the Kaieteur News in its vendetta to taint the image of the GRA and bring disrepute on the revenue boss twisted the comments made off the record by the Commissioner-General.”The Kaieteur News reporter, explaining the comments “made off the record” by the Commissioner-General,Wholesale Jerseys, said that the official was called for a comment on the investigations.However, upon learning that the reporter was calling from Kaieteur News,NFL Jerseys Outlet, the Commissioner-General, without waiting to listen to anything, said that he is not speaking to the newspaper and that the reporter could write “what the %#@* yo want to write”.Mr Sattaur then proceeded to slam down his phone.The reporter immediately reported the abuse to the Editor-in-Chief, Adam Harris,Cheap Soccer Jerseys, who attempted to call the Commissioner-General for clarifications. However, the official refused to answer.The GRA statement in late July did not dispute that the statements were made.GRA, in the past, has been encouraging media houses to make contact with officials there when writing on any issue.But Editor-in-chief Harris said that people dissatisfied with the general attitude of the GRA Commissioner General, and who want to ensure that there is an absence of skullduggery within the department, would release the necessary information.Some of them said that on occasions, Customs officers took actions only to have the GRA bosses cut a deal and overturn legitimate acts.

– Dr Moti LallThe need for more funding, and the training of health professionals have been cited as two crucial factors to aid the fight against Tuberculosis, according to reputable Pulmonologist, Dr Moti Lall. The renowned physician has for many years been directing his services to the fight against this disease which he insist remains a serious threat to the health sector.He explained that with the occurrence of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) the scourge of the disease has intensified considerably. “We have found that TB is a so-called by product of AIDS and what we have found also is that when most AIDS victims die the cause of death is usually TB.” It is for this very reason, Dr Moti said, that there is an urgent need for more attention and an increase in the budgetary allocation to help combat the disease. He asserted that the disease is on the increase.The Pulmonologist explained too that although a lot of approaches to combat the disease have been engaged by the health sector such as the Direct Observation Therapy Strategy (DOTS) programme there are still some challenges such as the failure of some patients to take their medication. “When these patients do not use their drugs, which is provided at no cost to them,Wholesale Jerseys China, they develop a multiple drug resistance and this is the creeping monster that we have to be watching for very carefully. When these people refuse to take the drug or if they don’t get it for some reason the disease spreads and we have a major problem. It is a problem in Europe it is a problem in far East Asia and it is raising its ugly head in the Caribbean too.” This state of affairs, according to Dr Lall, could be seen as the primary reason for a decline in the success rate as it relates to the fight against the disease. He revealed that last year’s efforts realised a mere 64 percent success rate when in fact the aim was somewhere in the vicinity of 90 percent.In addressing the problem, Dr Lall said that efforts are being made to even screen pregnant women to ensure that if they have TB, every precaution is taken to ensure that they do not pass it on to their unborn children. They are also screened for HIV at the same time,nhl jerseys outlet, Dr Lall said.The fact that some doctors who have been trained to address pulmonary conditions have been leaving are also factors hampering the desired success of the fight against TB, he added.Dr Lall, who has spent close to four decades addressing pulmonary conditions and diseases, revealed that over the years he had trained quite a few doctors, some of whom have since left the system.Dr Moti Lall“Presently we have doctors who are working with the National TB programme but who, in my opinion,Cheap Jerseys Wholesale, should be provided with post-graduate programmes. I think more and more people should be trained because AIDS is increasing and so is TB as a result and we have to address this… ““Stop TB is the motto for this year so we are out to stop it in the true sense. I am in this programme since the 1960s and inasmuch as I am not in the public health system,Cheap Jerseys, I realise that the bottom-line is that there is need for more money and more training.” DOTS ProgrammeWith the main intent being to provide a set of directions to strengthen the health system and decrease mortality and morbidity due to Tuberculosis (TB),NFL Jerseys China, the local Health Ministry has been working towards ensuring that its DOTS services are sustained and improved Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud has asserted. In the year 1994 Guyana established DOTS, a programme whereby health workers visit all registered TB patients and ensure that they take their treatment as recommended. The improvement of the DOTS programme is detailed in the Ministry’s 2008-2012 Strategic Plan which has as its ultimate goal to decrease the incidence of TB in Guyana. According to Dr Persaud the Strategic Plan serves to outline policies, principals, strategies and programmes of the national response to tuberculosis control in Guyana for the stipulated period. He has noted that the plan links the objective of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the United Nations, the National Development Strategy (NDS) of Guyana and the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper with the National Health Sector Strategy of Guyana.The 2008-2012 Strategic Plan represents the second of its kind which evolved out of a previous plan which was developed in 2001 and implemented during the period 2002 through 2006 with support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Dr Persaud has noted that that plan had further benefited from the main goals and objective of t

–?even list for adult heart surgeries increaseBy Sharmain CornettePlans are apace to have paediatric heart surgery be done right here in Guyana for the first time at the Caribbean Heart Institute by mid next year.Dr Gary Stephens (at extreme right) stands behind his wife Susan in the company of the other members of his team.This disclosure was made yesterday by Head of the Institute,wholesale jerseys, Dr Gary Stephens,Cheap NFL Jerseys, who said that the plans for this additional and crucial feature have been in the making for the past two years.He disclosed that currently the Institute has a doctor in training overseas to facilitate paediatric cardiology.“We anticipate, and I am pretty sure, that by the middle of next year all of our diagnostic capabilities in terms of paediatric cardiology should be available to us.? We will have intervention paediatric cardiac surgery,Jerseys Cheap Wholesale, and given how many children we have, we could probably run the programme similar to the one for adults,” the Stephens relayed.He, however,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, noted that efforts must first be made to ensure that the persons are totally comfortable with the current procedures before attempts are made to operate on children.CHI is currently able to conduct almost all cardiac operations but, according to Dr Stephens, mostly valve replacements and by-pass surgeries are conducted.“We do pretty much everything when it comes to cardiac surgery. It is just the frequency that is an issue but we have gotten better over the last few years…” he divulged.Dr Stephens and a team of medical doctors, including his wife Dr Susan Stephens, arrived in Guyana on Friday and are scheduled to conduct surgical procedures on four patients, one woman and three men.The procedures expected to be carried out include two valve replacements, one bypass and the insertion of a pacemaker.According to the expert cardiologist, the institute has an ever-growing waiting list. He added that although there are many patients in dire need of heart by-pass,Cheap NFL Jerseys, the Institute is restricted by its limited four-bed unit.“It limits what we can do and we haven’t been able to move beyond that. We would love to be able to have more beds and more space. The last time I checked, our waiting list had about 40 patients. After we completed those there were already another 40 in waiting,” the doctor disclosed.And while there have been no reported problems following surgical procedures conducted at CHI, Dr Stephens said that there are instances that patients have complex heart problems and therefore cannot be operated on since the Institute is not equipped for such operations.“We have not yet had to operate on a patient who need a by-pass surgery and a valve surgery at the same time…We have never done it…”But according to the doctor, once all goes well the Institute will undertake such a procedure on two patients within two months time.CHI, which is situated within the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation compound, was commissioned in 2004 and Dr Stephens, who resides in the United States, had assured that he would return every three months to head surgical operations. However, he noted that he and his team had to cancel one planned trip this year due to flight problems.Surgeries, he reported,China Jerseys Wholesale, were conducted in March, August, Friday last and yesterday.