Finance Minister calls for timely payment of tax refunds

…urges GRA to improve the quality of interaction with taxpayers

In keeping with the drive for improved service quality across public sector agencies, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, has called on the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to ensure that taxpayers legitimately entitled to tax refunds receive these in a timely manner.

A press release from the Ministry on Sunday stated that Dr. Singh recently addressed senior management of the Authority raising the concern that taxpayers often complain that they have to wait an inordinate length of time before they receive tax refunds to which they are entitled.

The Minister pointed out that extended delays in paying tax refunds can have severe adverse effects on the cash flow of businesses and households, which in turn could affect both consumption and investment, and ultimately be a drag on economic activity on the whole.

He emphasized, however, that more timely refunds should not in any way compromise the rigour with which the GRA verifies the legitimacy of each refund payable. Instead, he stated that the verification and payment processes should be made more efficient to ensure that refunds are both thoroughly verified and promptly paid.

Furthermore, Dr. Singh has directed the Authority to work immediately to improve the quality of their interaction with taxpayers, emphasizing the importance of the highest standards of integrity and efficiency across all aspects of their operations.