Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Godfrey Statia is undoubtedly impressed by taxpayers for their overwhelming compliance in filing their tax returns before the due date of April 30, last. The tax chief said this level of compliance is extraordinary especially in light of the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In comparison to 2020, and previous years, Statia said the Authority (GRA) has received an astounding number of tax returns filed both manually and electronically. “When compared to 2020, there was increased compliance of over 100%. Such compliance levels allowed the agency to surpass its budget collections by over $1B for the month of April 2021,” the official stated.
As of April 30, 2021, the agency received 94,189 tax returns at its Headquarters and Regional Integrated Tax Offices, 4,414 of which were submitted via the new Optimal RMS e-services and over 1,000 payments being effected electronically thereon.
In March 2021, the Commissioner General noted that GRA launched its new tax software Optimal Revenue Management System (RMS). This system he reminded will not only improve taxpayer convenience, allow for e-filing and e-payments, and improved operational efficiencies, but will allow the Agency to fast-track the processing of Mortgage Interest Relief and PAYE refunds, thereby bringing benefits to all stakeholders.
Statia was keen to note that GRA is working assiduously in utilizing the information submitted in the 2021 returns to refund taxpayers for previous years by utilizing direct bank transfers and give notice of such transfers through electronic media like MMS and WhatsApp. He said too that systems are being put in place to reduce the long waiting time for tax refunds and MIR payments.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and in the interest of maintaining public safety, Statia said the issuance of lodgment receipts was discontinued. For future submissions, taxpayers who submitted their returns via the dropbox system are encouraged to sign up for e-services to receive confirmation that their returns were lodged. Guyana Standard understands that they can also utilize this system to track their tax status (taxes due or refunds outstanding).
For additional information about the features and benefits of the Optimal Revenue Management System, taxpayers can visit www.gra.gov.gy/optimal. Taxpayers are also encouraged to view GRA’s video presentations, which cover promotional, guidance, and other useful content via its social media channels: https://www.facebook.com/grapr2020 (Facebook) and https://www.youtube.com/c/GuyanaRevenueAuthority/ (YouTube).
Furthermore, GRA is also encouraging taxpayers who have failed to meet the April 30, 2021 deadline to make every effort to do so within the shortest possible time since while the law allows for the Commissioner-General to waive associated penalties for due cause (e.g., the Covid-19 pandemic and legitimate concerns like the non-receipt of Employers’ 7B/emolument slips), such consideration may not be extended towards any interest that may have accrued for the late payment of taxes.
