Implementation of TIN working well- GRA Commissioner
-over 145,000 persons receive numbers
Georgetown, GINA, January 25, 2008
Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Khurshid Sattaur said that the implementation of the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) is moving smoothly and attributed this success to the Authority’s sensitisation campaign and the dedication of its staff.
“I think we can very much be envied by other tax administrations for making such major strides in implementing this TIN. If one were to look at our results I would feel that we have captured in excess of 80 percent of the tax payers that we ought to be dealing with,” Sattaur said.
Over 145,000 persons have been registered which is a major achievement, Sattaur said.
Persons found guilty of not having a TIN would result in late submission and payment. This constitutes an offence under the Income Tax Act and the employer could be penalised.
Sattaur said that due to misinformation by certain sections of the media there are thousands of persons who are not necessarily required to have TIN immediately but have applied and these are the persons complaining of not having a TIN.
“I have in excess of 25,000 applications that I cannot deal with at the moment who by virtue of us having to prioritise the process we would not give a TIN immediately and as such you will hear the complaints of people who will continue to say that they have applied and not been given a TIN,” Sattaur asserted.
He pointed out that the GRA will process their TIN in due course.
TIN was first introduced last year for Value Added Tax Registrants and importers processing commercial transactions at the Customs and Trade Administration.
TIN is a unique computer-generated nine-digit number which identifies persons for the purpose of transacting business with the GRA and those other agencies specified under the law and has replaced all existing Income Tax, Form 2 and Export Numbers and other numbers previously issued by the GRA.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner General announced that the GRA will be introducing a new service to enable more efficiency with regard to taxes.
“There is a major milestone we are about to attain come February 14 when historically for this country we would be receiving remittances from employers pertaining to the taxes that they (employees) would have been paying on the PAYE system and which historically in the first time in this country, those individual payments will be electronically received onto our system.”
The Commissioner General explained that the new system will result in reducing the cost of managing the organization and there will be less paper trail requirement.
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Initial technical ferries’ agreement signed
-to facilitate construction locally
Georgetown, GINA, January 25, 2008.
An initial technical agreement for the construction of two modern ferries in Guyana has been signed between the Ministry of Public Works and Communications and the Chinese delegation.
The ten-member Chinese survey team while on a 20-day visit recently conducted a feasibility study to determine the building capacity of local shipyards and held meetings with various technical officials.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, Robeson Benn were among those who held discussions with the delegation.
Construction of the two roll-on-roll-off ferries is being pursued as part of a bilateral technical co-operation programme that required the Chinese to design and construct the vessels in their country.
However, a request was later made to have the ferries constructed locally in the interest of ensuring further development of the local ship-building capacity. This will enable local construction of vessels that are acceptable for use not only in Guyana and the region, but internationally.
Minister Benn explained that the initial agreement provides for both parties to accept the designs and proposals to have the vessels constructed locally and other technical details for implementation of the project.
Construction of the new ferries which are estimated to cost approximately US$8M is expected to be completed within two years. These were initially intended for the Rosignol/New Amsterdam crossing, but with construction of the Berbice River Bridge, the vessels will be assigned to the Essequibo crossing.
At present, Government is spending more than $570M to construct a new stelling at Supenaam, Goodhope in Region Two, to accommodate the new ferries while previous upgrading was carried out to the infrastructure at Parika.
A roll-on/roll-off vessel allows for easier and faster loading and off-loading since it connects directly to the stelling built to accommodate it.
Acquisition of the ferries will be the first phase of a plan to ‘retire’ the existing ferries which have been in operation for more than 70 years and which have been costly to maintain.
Over the period 2001 to 2005, Government spent approximately $2.4B to improve the services of the Transport and Hydraulics Department (T&HD).
Heavy operational losses due mainly to low tariffs, an over-aged fleet and competition from private operators are some of the problems facing the ferry services. These were outlined in a transport sector study conducted by European Union (EU) consultants during 2005.
The study recommended a refinement and implementation of a short-term investment programme with focus on the Essequibo crossings and a fleet development programme. It also recommended strengthening of the legal and institutional framework of T&HD to focus on safety standards and regulations.
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Home Affairs Minister, religious community discussbroad-based approach to address societal ills
Georgetown, GINA, January 25, 2008
Government’s policy of inclusiveness is being effected in all segments of society and this was evident when Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee held an engagement with leaders of the religious community recently.
During the meeting at the Ministry of Home Affairs Boardroom several issues were highlighted. These include; crimes committed on places of worship, increasing of involvement of youths in criminal activities, anti-social behaviour and drug trafficking.
Members of the community also told the Minister about Main Big Lime, which according to them, does not promote proper values for young people and called for some aspects of Guy Expo to be revisited particularly with respect to the level of music.
The leaders also called for promoters to emphasise family values in their shows. Minister Rohee will be meeting with DJs and promoters on January 29.
Minister of Home Affairs and Leaders of the religious community in discussion during January 16 meeting in the Home Affairs Ministry boardroom.
Minister Rohee reminded leaders that government recognises the role churches can play in promoting better values and life-styles and he urged them to work with government to achieve such successes.
Recommendations were also made for the re-introduction of religious education in schools, regularisation of video clubs with regard to the age of children conducting business and for the reintroduction of the Censor Board to promote monitoring of programmes shown on television.
There are calls for laws to prevent the opening of liquor restaurants, sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages on all religious holidays. At present this applies for Good Fridays.
The Home Affairs Minister assured the leaders of his Ministry’s commitment in taking advice and working in partnership to address the issues and also noted that a follow-up meeting will be held shortly to sort out the recommendations and decide on a way forward.
Meanwhile, Minister Rohee told the leaders about the many programmes government is working on to improve the lives of Guyanese including works on the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, Citizens’ Security Programmes and the Community Action Programmes where faith-based organizations will be included.
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Carifesta oversight committee continuing work
Georgetown, GINA, January 25, 2008
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds is heading a committee that has been meeting regularly to oversee Guyana’s preparations for the Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA) X which will be held during the period August 22 to 31 and featuring.
A meeting was held today with Minister of Culture Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony, Minister of Transport and Hydraulics Robeson Benn, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Kellawan Lall and Minister of Amerindian Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues engaging in discussions.
A number of stakeholders in the government and private sector will be playing their part in the event. Similar to Cricket World Cup (CWC) boards have been established to oversee security, accommodation and hospitality, local government and civil society, transportation and communication, health and emergency services.
Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee is chairman of the security committee of which various security agencies in Guyana are involved.
Carifesta oversight committee meeting in progress
The committee according to Minister Anthony will be replicating some of the mechanisms that were implemented for CWC but taking into consideration the multiple venues where Carifesta will be hosted.
A committee has also been established to formulate a programme for providing transportation for overseas delegates. This committee will collaborate with the traffic department of the Guyana Police Force for smooth traffic arrangements.
More than 100 cultural events will be held in various parts of the country for Carifesta in the performing, visual, culinary and literary arts, community festivals, grand market, fashion focus, single events, super concerts and symposia.
Committees have also been established for the performing, visual arts and symposia event. Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana Dr. James Rose and lecturer Philbert Gajadar are heading committees for the visual arts and symposia respectively.
Carifesta, the event which fosters unity and the celebration of the arts regionally and internationally was first held in Guyana in 1972 and will be returning for the first time since then.
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Getting to know some of the Mash calypso quarter finalists
Georgetown, GINA, January 25, 2008
Twenty-two contenders in this year’s Mashramani adult calypso competition will be seeking to dethrone Jeffrey Philips, the “Mighty Rebel” who holds the monarch crown as the 2007-2008 King of the competition.
The various contenders have been rehearsing daily at the Carifesta Sports Complex on Carifesta Avenue to challenge Rebel who was adjudged the 2007 monarch with his song “Is we put you there”.
The Sniper
A Corentyne Berbician, Linden Thompson known as the Sniper entered the competition in 2001, reaching the finals on five consecutive occasions.
With encouragement from prominent calypsonians such as Estella Simpson (Calypso Stella) Vivian Jordan (VJ) and the Mighty Rebel, the Sniper is confident of winning this year’s competition with his contribution “Deh Beginning.”
The Mighty Roots
Robert Campbell known as the Mighty Roots is a Mc Doom, East Bank of Demerara resident who began singing professionally in 1999.
From singing in church and compiling his own songs as one of his hobbies, the Mighty Roots copped the third spot in the first HIV/AIDS Calypso Competition held last year.
A finalist in the Adult Calypso competition on a few occasions, he generated both interest and excitement when on stage, once portraying television station owner CN Sharma in one of his performances. His entry in the 2008 competition is “She can’t take the needle”.
Precious Pearl
One of just two females among 22 contenders, Pearl Lewis is just as creative as her more seasoned rivals in this year’s Adult Calypso Competition.
She is a writer of stories, poetry and songs, most of which have been published in the Guyana Annual. Pearl, the mother of a medical student released her first single last September and forged her way into the quarter-finals of the 2008 Mash Adult Calypso with her entry “Help oh Lord.”
“This is my first attempt at participating in an event of such magnitude but inexperience will never daunt me from winning this year’s Calypso Monarchy,” declared a confident Pearl.
On Saturday, February 2, the adult calypso quarter-finals will be held at the National Park.
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Improved water system in Region One villages
Georgetown, GINA, January 22, 2008
True to its promise of expanding access to potable water, the Government has completed an improved water programme in 10 communities of Region One (Barima/Waini).
Colin Sparman, Acting Hinterland Manager of the Guyana Water Inc (GWI), said the project was undertaken after complaints that salt water had infiltrated the water supply system.
Wells were installed in some communities while others are serviced via black tanks. Among the beneficiaries are Almond Beach, Hotoquai, Morawhanna, Scared Heart and White Water.
While new wells were dug, major refurbishing was done on the old ones to ensure that the communities have sufficient water sources for other domestic purposes.
Sparman said that the GWI is hopeful of putting in solar panels to power wells and this will increase the water pressure tremendously.
Regional Chairman of Region One, Fermin Singh said that is he happy that the affected communities are benefiting from an improved water system. He noted that residents now have pure water to drink and a sufficient quantity for domestic purposes.
GWI will be continuing its improved water programme in 10 other communities in the Region including at Koriabo, Four Miles, Red Hill, False Stop and Chinese Landing. The water system in these communities are affected by miners who are mining indiscriminately in these areas.
Of the 60 communities in Region One, most have access to potable water while plans are underway to install system in those that are not receiving by the end of the year.
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Gov’t expands capacity to boost agricultural export
-in keeping with diversification thrust
Georgetown, GINA, January 25, 2008.
Government’s interest in furthering the development of the country’s agricultural sector is heightening with more investments being made to expand existing facilities that will cater for increased exports of produce particularly fruits and vegetables.
The administration’s commitment was further displayed today with the re-commissioning of the Central Packaging Facility at Sophia, Greater Georgetown, which was upgraded to ensure processing of more non-traditional produce for export.
The facility was commissioned by Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud in the presence of officials of the Ministry, the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) and the Ministry of Agriculture of Barbados and exporters, producers and farmers among others.
The Sophia Pack-House was established in 2001 as part of efforts to boost the non-traditional crops sector and initially exports were done only to Barbados. The pack house has since facilitated processing of several produce mainly pumpkins, plantains, citrus, sweet potatoes and pineapples for export to countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua, Canada and the United States.
Approximately 10, 000 pounds of produce per month were processed initially however, this has since expanded to 100, 000 pounds per month.
The initiative is in keeping with the administration’s commitment to agricultural diversification to increase production, exports, income of farmers and national earnings, Minister Persaud pointed out.
Reference was made to the growing demand for food that exists especially in the Caribbean Region and which presents an opportunity to realise this vision. Thus, Government’s investments in activities such as upgrading of the pack house are aimed at positioning farmers and Guyana to take advantage of the potential.
Farmers, producers, processors, exporters and others were urged by the Minister that focus must be given to meeting the demands of the Caribbean region which is a safe and secure market.
During his presentation, Everton Hunte of the Ministry of Agriculture, Barbados, expressed satisfaction with the progress made with development of the pack house since 2001. Hunte is part of a team that is currently assessing Guyana’s production and processing facilities.
Government’s focus on promoting the non-traditional sector has shown encouraging results over recent years as exports have increased form 1901 tonnes in 1992 to more than 6000 tonnes in 2007.
This, according to Minister Persaud is evidence of the rapid agricultural development taking place in the country where more persons are getting involved in the sector while those who had left their lands are returning.
While this is ongoing, Government’s investments continue to ensure that necessary support is given to farmers and other important parties in the agricultural sector. At present, a modern $89M storage and packaging facility is being built at Parika and will cater for the processing of produce from Regions Two and Three, where there have been increased production and need for such a facility.
Under the Poor Rural Communities Support Services Project (PRCSSP), major investments have been made to upgrade necessary services and infrastructure to support increased production with particular emphasis on non-traditional crops.
In addition, plans are underway to establish similar packaging facilities at other areas in the country such as Charity and Number 43 Village, Corentyne, where are also advanced agricultural development.
Also, at the GMC, efforts are being made to restructure and improve services offered to stakeholders that will enable them to utilise the market opportunities available. Establishment of the Marketing Information Centre and ongoing efforts to develop a Farmers’ Database are among the activities undertaken in this regard.
Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture Extension Services Programme was restructured to better meet the needs of farmers while a Pesticides Laboratory has been built at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara.
This is part of efforts to ensure that the agricultural crops produced in Guyana in keeping with international standards are guaranteed safe and wholesome especially since consumers are becoming more aware of such issues.
Others who delivered remarks at the commissioning ceremony were Chairman of GMC Geoffrey Da Silva, General Manager Nizam Hassan, Deputy General Manager Celestine Butters and Exporter Owen Archer.
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Labour Ministry investigating industrial death of 14 year old
Georgetown, GINA, January 25, 2008
Inspectors from the Ministry of Labour were late today conducting investigations into the death of a 14 year-old boy at an industrial site on the East Coast Demerara.
Minister of Labour Manzoor Nadir said that it was brought to the attention of his Ministry, by an interested individual, that during yesterday the child was crushed to death while working at a particular work site. It is required by law that any industrial accident that results in the death of an individual should be reported to the Ministry immediately. The Ministry, in this case, was not informed.
The Labour Minister is reminding employers that it is against the law to employ any person below the age of 15 years. He used the occasion to appeal to parents not to send their children to work at the expense of their education and employers not to employ persons below the age of 15 years.
He said that in addition to breaking the law the employer was doing a disservice to the child and society by employing him at the expense of his education. He took the opportunity to appeal to the public to report instances of employers employing the services of children.
The Ministry of Labour has recently intensified its work place inspection programme to ensure that employers are providing a safe environment for their workers.
Chief Labour, Occupational Health and Safety Officer, Mohamed Akeel said that the inspectors will submit a report at the end of their investigations. Based on the findings the employer could be charged for a number of breaches including failure to provide a safe work environment and employing a child.
Akeel said that the parents of the child could also face charges since the Education Act makes it compulsory for children to be in school up to the age of 15 years. The Employment of young persons and children Act prohibits employing any person below the age of 15 years. He said that while an employer could engage the services of a person between the ages of 15 and 18 years the Act stipulates that that child should not be made to work in any environment that may endanger his safety, health or morals.
He reminded employers that the Occupation Health and Safety Act makes it mandatory for employers to report all industrial accidents.
There were 1003 reported industrial accidents during 2007, six of which resulted in fatality.
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Water distribution system for significant enhancement
Georgetown, GINA, January 25, 2008
Several major water projects will be realized during this year as the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) work toward strengthening the water distribution systems countrywide.
A total of $5.5B will be spent over the next three years to enhance the quality of service to customers. This will be funded by Government and external agencies.
Managing Director of GWI, Karran Singh said the utility company recently signed the contract for the construction of two iron removal plants at Central Ruimveldt and Sophia and it is expected that over the next 3 to 4 months mobilization activities will commence.
GWI’s Shelter Belt at Vlissengen Road will be experiencing major transformation over the next few months as rehabilitation has commenced at a cost of $63M. It is expected to be completed by mid year.
Singh said the GWI has placed focus on upgrading the sewerage systems countrywide and work has commenced at the Tucville sewerage plant at a cost of US$83M. This system will serve as an outlet for neighbouring communities and will reduce the sewerage problems in those areas. It is expected to be completed during the middle of this year.
With the Inter- American Development Bank programme the company is expected to spend some $740M to have the Georgetown water system addressed.
At present GWI has completed refurbishing three zones in Georgetown offering a better level of service. The projects will cost US $6M and are 90% complete.
In Georgetown a $28M project is intended to replace the trunk main in Houston/Agricola, East Bank Demerara and pipelines that were removed during road works.
Government will provide some additional funds to execute work in Georgetown to enhance distribution.
Singh said many of the pipelines in Central Georgetown have been in the ground for more than 50 years and have not been changed.
He said the company is hoping to invest an additional $500M to upgrade pipeline distribution in areas such as Sophia, Alexander Village, West Ruimveldt and Guyhoc Park, as those areas have not had any major works to their water supply system.
Under the World Bank/ Government of Guyana programme the construction of three water treatment plants at Lima Essequibo, Vergenoegen, Parika and Rosignol, West Coast Berbice are ongoing at a cost of $1.2B.
An additional $4M will be spent on upgrading GWI’s transmission lines, replacing distribution lines, installing meters and upgrading service connections in these three communities where the plants will be installed.
Supported by the Government under the Coastal Programme, $700M will be spent on the East Bank and East Coast Demerara, West Bank Berbice and Corentyne.
Singh said GWI’s ongoing programme in the Corentyne to upgrade all service connections and meters is in progress.
The Corriverton Water Supply Project is progressing at a rapid pace and is expected to be completed in March. Over 15,000 people will benefit from this project.
According to Singh, GWI has suffered some delay in Phase Two of that project since the Japanese grant programme has its peculiarity and the project will suffer a six to nine month delay.
The Department for International Development (DFID) programme still has ₤3M to be expended and that will be used to support the non-revenue water focusing on installing tamper proof meters, repairs to leakages and broken pipeline and most importantly help the administration to maintain good governance towards ensuring there are systems and procedures in place to restore credibility in the water distribution system.
GWI has strategic plans to tackle the non-revenue water by conducting a series of meter installations and repairs of pipeline countrywide. This will address the issue of water wastage through broken pipes and mains.
The company plans to address the collection of revenue from its customers, especially those who are in the bottled water, hotel and restaurant businesses. The Company will be taking legal action to deal with those persons who are not paying for the water which they are receiving.
GWI is expected to receive in excess of $5B in 2008 which would account for 75% of GWI’s billings from customers. Many of them owe the agency a substantial amount.
The company plans to spend US$2.4M on the Georgetown sewerage system. This will replace 24 pumps in addition to civil works that have to be done to make these pumps operational.
The IDB programme will be catering for 12 of those pumps and the Government has contributed funding to procure 12 additional pumps and rehabilitation of the pumping stations.
Singh said the Government has given the approval already and soon the company will be pursuing tendering for the 12 pumps that the government is financing.
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