-$2B in taxes lost annually from alcohol, cigarette smugglingAs the debate on taxes and collections continues, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has announced a rash of measures to improve tax collections next year.GRA’s senior officials: (L-R), Lancelot Wills,Cheap NFL Jerseys, Deputy Commissioner of Customs Excise and Trade Operations; Commissioner-General, Godfrey Statia and Deputy Commissioner-General, Hema Khan.The idea is to collect billions of dollars from smugglers and other tax dodgers, including businesses, say Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia.Speaking yesterday at a press conference at GRA’s Camp Street headquarters Statia said that since taking up the post in July on a two-year contract, he and his team have been meeting with stakeholders, and with departmental heads now authorized to speak on their respective responsibilities.There have been a number of changes in the critical areas, including Customs,China Jerseys Cheap, based on meetings with businesses and assessments of GRA’s branches. The idea is to reduce congestion at the head office. The regional branches are now equipped to handle simpler transactions.Statia admitted that the GRA computer system, Total Revenue Integrated Processing System (TRIPS),Cheap NFL Jerseys China, has been experiencing problems. There are plans in place to stop it from “tripping”.By end of April, the authority is hoping to make changes to TRIPS to what is known asASYCUDA (Automated System for Customs Data), a special Customs programme that is in use in over 90 countries.It will not only reduce downtime in processing at wharves but allow for better information sharing with the entity.Statia explained that GRA has been paying close attention to smuggling which siphons off billions of dollars annually in revenues.For example,Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping, there is a huge smuggling racket involving alcohol and cigarettes. Guyana loses an estimated $2B annually in taxes, he said.GRA is working with Canadian Bank Note, which specializes in security measures to implement a stamp system that will allow enforcement officials to make inspections and determine right away whether taxes have been paid. The stamps will be affixed to the products imported into the country at the time of clearance.The Commissioner-General said that fuel smuggling is also engaging the authority’s attention.Fuel SmugglingRecent checks were made by a GRA team at Eteringbang, Region Seven which borders with Venezuela. The cheap fuel there is being capitalized on by smugglers who fail to pay up to $20M in taxes weekly in that area alone.The same situation seems to prevail at Morawhanna, which is a popular area of sourcing illegal fuel for gold mining.Statia announced plans to deploy GRA officials to the area to collect the taxes. The idea is to establish a presence there to minimize smuggling and widen the tax base and reduce the burden on a few who do pay.According to the official, the problems of collecting a fair share of payments of taxes could also be blamed on businesses colluding with some of GRA “unscrupulous” officers.Statia sounded a clear warning of tough actions to reduce the corruption.Tax evasion, he complained, is estimated at between 30-40 percent.It appears that GRA will be paying less attention next year on the current taxpayers.“We have to reduce our emphasis on people that we see…people that are in plain sight, people… that are the employees…versus the businesses that accumulate wealth that pay little or no taxes.”Next year, to tackle the tax dodgers, GRA is planning to establish a Large Taxpayers Unit that will focus on compliance,Jerseys NFL Wholesale, enforcement, review and other things.With 80 percent of the taxes coming from 20 percent of the businesses, the possibilities of collections takes even more significance, the official said.“We could dedicate the rest of the team on what has fallen through,” Statia disclosed.Another major problem affecting GRA is the fact that the current TRIPS system is not efficient with information sharing between key departments not happening as it should.Also at the press conference yesterday were GRA’s Deputy Commissioner-General, Hema Khan and Lancelot Wills, Deputy Commissioner of Customs Excise and Trade Operations.Statia also note that GRA has found evidence of many businesses are without licences although they are operating.Many of them claim to be out of business or have offices elsewhere. The current TRIPS systems make it difficult to deal with these and GRA has to manually handle the incidents.Not registeredThe Commissioner-General said that close to 32,000 businesses are “non-registered” but are active.It is the plan to issue provisional registration

Just over one week after its official opening,Cheap Jerseys From China, the Giftland Mall is reporting generally positive responses from its consumer base.In a recent walkabout in the new shopping centre, Kaieteur News gained some perspective on the operations of the highly anticipated and “revolutionary” complex.From a managerial point of view, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Mall, Ian Ramdeo, said that he has seen a definite change in the shopping patterns of the public. “There has been a lot of traffic and a definite change in the hours/trends in terms of people’s shopping habits,” said Ramdeo.He added that the shopping centre sees most of its traffic in the evenings; the mornings are much quieter when compared to Giftland’s former Water Street location.In comparison to the company’s now abandoned Water Street location,Cheap Jerseys From China, Ramdeo explained that initial projections show that sales have been consistent. However, as most of the stocks are still being shipped in, the CEO expressed confidence that sales will continue to grow.The Giftland Mall currently has four concessions in operation as well as the Caribbean Cinemas Guyana branch. Included in the Mall concessions are its electronics store, GL Giftronics; its sports supplies outlet, GL Sportsmaxx; its multipurpose Giftland Megastore as well as the establishment’s food court.As the 6.3 acre complex continues its operations,Wholesale Jerseys China, in the coming months more concessions will be coming on board and will factor into increased sales.? Ramdeo said that since the July 2 opening a number of Guyanese businesses have applied to fill in the over 120 concessions offered by the Mall.“Come early August we would have signed on more stores which will open once they have cleared our screening process,” said the Mall’s CEO.Adding to the changing shopping habits, Ramdeo has seen more families coming to complex.“People are walking around with their families and children which is one of the goals we were aiming for. We want to provide a wholesome family entertainment and retail environment. In that sense the traffic was much heavier than expected,China NFL Jerseys,” he shared. One father commended the Mall as a feat of business ingenuity and a family getaway.However, the Mall’s initial days were not met without some hiccups. Ramdeo, as well as some of the staff, said that due to the new operating system at the Mall there have been some glitches in the purchases customers made.The CEO said that this had to do with the sheer volume of purchases which had to be processed as well as staff adjusting to the novel system. In relation to staff, Ramdeo said that the Mall also has an influx of applicants, which he posited is a result of Giftland’s longer opening hours. The Mall, he added, has changed the employment opportunities for those who wish to work part time while pursuing their studies.Although change has been a significant feature of the Mall, Ramdeo maintained that the company will not change how it treats its customer base. “It’s important that we maintain our reputation since our pricing hasn’t changed,” he said.To this end, it was pointed out that the company will be launching a promotion whereby costumers coming to the new location will be refunded their bus fare as long as they make purchases above $2000 and possess a special coupon.“We are very aware that there are people in the Georgetown area who will not find our new location as convenient… so we are working on ensuring that no matter what income bracket you fall in, you are in an affordable environment,Cheap Wholesale Jerseys,” Ramdeo explained.Meanwhile staff members,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, such as Shavine Vyphuis, Team Leader of the Mall’s sports store, said that customer response has been overwhelming and that staff has been coping “fairly okay” with the changes.Supervisor of the Megastore, Jennifer Marks, shared that customers have been responding especially well to the space and “freedom” the latest shopping centre provides.As for costumers, those which this publication spoke to were pleased that such standard in shopping had arrived in Guyana.Krysta Yan, a Guyanese back home from studying in England, said that the Mall was very much like the shopping centres she’s been to in East London. She added that while the stores are limited she is looking forward to the other businesses that are slated to come on board in the coming months.“It’s a move in the right direction,” said the 21-year-old student.