A routine social-media notice from the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has triggered sharp criticism and renewed scrutiny of a widening luxury-vehicle tax-evasion scandal, with the Vigilant Political Action Committee (V-PAC) accusing the agency of effectively legitimising fraudulent import practices rather than confronting them.
Yesterday, the GRA issued a brief public advisory urging vehicle owners to ensure that any changes—new engines, updated colours, or other modifications—are formally recorded.
The post stated:
“Upgraded your ride?
New engine or fresh colour?
Make it official.
Submit your form, present your vehicle, and get your records updated.
Take action now.”
Ordinarily, such an announcement would be interpreted as an administrative reminder. But its timing—coming weeks after allegations of systemic tax fraud within the vehicle-import process—has ignited accusations that the GRA is sidestepping accountability.
V-PAC, in a strongly worded statement- issued by its Leader, Dorwain Bess- claimed the GRA’s advisory appears to normalise a loophole at the centre of a multi-year conspiracy involving the falsification of Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) and engine-displacement data for high-end vehicles.
Calling it “A loophole so big you could drive a Lamborghini through it!”, V-PAC argued that the alleged scheme involves luxury cars being declared as small-engine, low-tax vehicles—typically 1500cc or less—thereby evading millions in import duties.
The group emphasised that “voice recordings and falsified documents provide justification for a full scale investigation and potential prosecution of a criminal conspiracy possibly reaching into the heart of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).”
According to V-PAC, records suggest the practice has been ongoing for years, costing the state “billions of dollars” that could have funded essential public services. Despite this, V-PAC says the GRA has responded not with enforcement, but with administrative convenience.
The group condemned the agency’s advisory as “an insult to the intelligence of Guyanese people,” arguing that the new guidance effectively allows individuals to correct fraudulent import declarations after the fact—without penalties or investigation.
V-PAC stated:
“Under this new policy, a luxury vehicle can now be imported at the tax rate of a low-end engine, and as long as paperwork is later submitted claiming an engine ‘replacement,’ the actual luxury car can be correctly registered without having to pay any additional tax or penalty whatsoever.”
The committee argues that the GRA has created a framework where taxes depend not on the vehicle that enters the country, but on the engine that is declared at the port—opening the door for criminals to regularise fraudulent imports by simply submitting updated documents and presenting the actual vehicle afterward.
“Corruption has just acquired the official stamp of not only government approval, but of government collaboration,” V-PAC charged.
While stressing that it does not endorse illegal behaviour, the group warned that the GRA’s approach threatens public trust and undermines the rule of law:
“When the government creates loopholes big enough to collapse the luxury-tax system, when criminals are protected instead of prosecuted, and when billion-dollar fraud is rewarded with new policies rather than investigations, the integrity of our institutions is under threat.”
V-PAC concluded with a stark assessment of the situation:
“The issue is simple: Instead of fixing the crime, the GRA fixed the rules to fit the criminals.”
The GRA has not yet responded to the allegations or clarified whether its public advisory is related to the ongoing concerns about fraudulent vehicle imports.
