Category: News

As the deadline for the second and final phase of the tax amnesty granted by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) draws closer, GRA Commissioner General Godfrey Statia has disclosed that billions of dollars have been collected as of the end of August. Speaking with reporters at the sideline of an event on Wednesday, the tax chief said the GRA has managed to collect over $5 billion so far and this figure may increase. He also reminded that this is the last extension that will be granted to the amnesty, while…

A key Inter-American Development report (IDB) has recommended that countries in the region, including Guyana, implement a number of measures aimed at improving public procurement. The report, titled ‘Better spending for better lives: How Latin America and the Caribbean can do more with less’, has identified poor procurement practices as a contributor to wasted public funds. The feasibility study for the new Demerara River Bridge, now marred in controversy and being investigated by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), was a sole-sourced contract. Among IDB’s recommendations for countries in the…

By Jarryl Bryan Agreements signed last Saturday with the People’s Republic of China would allow for concessional funding for the Information Communication Technology (ICT) and other sectors, as Guyana hosted the Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister on a State Visit. The signing took place at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre following brief bilateral talks with Guyana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi. While one agreement was for a concessional loan between the two governments, another was for “economic and technical cooperation”. Speaking on the agreements, Greenidge…

Months after Special Purpose Unit (SPU) Head Colvin Heath-London was tipped to become the new Chairman of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and subsequent to a notice published in the media naming him and several other persons as members of the new Board, those names have been discarded for an entirely new board. Minister of State, Joseph Harmon announced officially the new members of the Board for the now downsized Corporation. Harmon told the media earlier this week at his post-Cabinet press briefing that Cabinet recently granted its approval of…

The Region Three Regional Democratic Council (RDC) on Tuesday commissioned a $77 million education complex at Vreed-en-Hoop, West Bank Demerara. The cost takes into consideration the $43 million building; a $17 million cold storage; a $12 million generator room (with generator installed and configured) and the driveway and open bond for $5 million. The new complex replaces the old education building which was gutted by fire in 2009. As a result of the blaze, many documents were destroyed, and offices displaced. Speaking at Tuesday’s commissioning ceremony, Senior Project Officer, Communities…

Head of the Special Purpose Unit (SPU) of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) Colvin Heath-London has confirmed that the Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited has registered a complaint of its concerns with how the $30 billion bond loaned to the Unit to be utilized on the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is being spent. Heath-London told Guyana Times International on Tuesday that while he cannot comment extensively on the issue, he did say the Bank had registered an official complaint and asked that some of the matters be corrected…

Some 20 containers of rice shipped to Panama under a Government to Government arrangement with Guyana have reportedly been refused. According to reports, the containers of what was expected to be packaged white rice were rejected over the last six weeks as a result of substandard quality. It is being reported that the Panamanian authorities are complaining that the samples sent were not in keeping with the contractual agreement with Guyana. That agreement saw Guyana through the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) packaging quality rice for better than normal prices…

With sugar production reaching its lowest in decades since the downsizing of the industry and with the closure of three estates, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is now in dire need of capital to bring the level of production to an improved mark. This point was made by newly-appointed Chairman of GuySuCo Board, John Dow, who told Guyana Times International in an interview on Wednesday that the aim is to improve infrastructure and purchase new equipment that will aid in increasing the industry’s performance. “The estates have been starved of…