Georgetown: In an effort to rake in the outstanding taxes being lost through vehicle smuggling and other related practices, Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur said steps have been taken to introduce digital number plates here.
However, the new move would require parliamentary approval as the law currently stipulated how the licence plate should look and digital plates were not catered for. He said that a decision has already been made for this technology to be utilised as the relevant amendment to the legislation has been drafted. He said once this was done, tenders would be advertised for persons to design and supply the plates.
In Guyana, vehicle owners purchase their own number plates and over the years, criminals have used the lax system to print false number plates to be used on vehicles in the commission of crimes.
Besides, the GRA has found that Surinamese and Brazilians who have been allowed to cross the borders with their vehicles would eventually sell these to locals. In order to use the vehicles, the new owners would either bribe Customs officials to get them registered or in most cases fit them with false licence plates.
Sattaur had previously issued a stern warning to persons smuggling vehicles from Suriname and Brazil into Guyana, saying it was only a matter of time before they were caught and placed before the courts.
Sattaur said the GRA had been working with the Brazilian and Surinamese authorities to arrest the illegal trade. In light of the thriving vehicle smuggling trade at their porous borders, Guyana and Suriname met several years ago to strengthen collaboration to put an end to the lucrative business. Routinely, there are reports of motorbikes being smuggled into the country through Lethem.
Frequently, vehicles allowed across the border are later sold to Guyanese, who evade paying duty. According to reports, at least $1 million in duty is charged per vehicle. In some instances, Guyanese themselves would purchase the vehicles in the neighbouring countries, fit them with false licence plates, and bring them to Guyana.
Sattaur had said continued emphasis was being placed on vehicles smuggled into the country through the Suriname and Lethem routes, noting that there has been a significant reduction in vehicles smuggled from Suriname. He credited the reduction to a system adopted by the two countries, which requires persons to report all vehicles leaving Suriname to that country’s authorities and upon arrival in Guyana, report to the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU).
“The mere fact that we have a system that can identify that these vehicles have not returned is an adequate deterrent to those who bring them,” he emphasised.
He explained that since every vehicle entering Guyana had a licence plate number, a driver and owner, which were all documented, this information was often used to trace and track the owners who committed the fraudulent act. Sattaur was cognisant of the fact that persons often engaged in nefarious activities to keep the vehicles here.
“If a vehicle is to remain here, it will not have the same number plate it came with, the person would have fixed a Guyanese number plate on the vehicle, which is very difficult to detect at times,” he said.
The GRA Commissioner General noted that vehicle owners were usually given a certificate granting their vehicles a three-week stay in the country, adding that in some cases, persons who wish to stay longer request an additional week or two to have their vehicles in the country, and the GRA would facilitate this. He disclosed that the GRA has been able to catch a few persons who engage in these illegal activities, warning others involved in the trade that they will be caught sooner or later. If a person is caught with an illegal vehicle, the vehicle will be confiscated and put up for public auction. Additionally, the culprit may have to pay a fine triple the worth of the vehicle.
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