Ministry rejected Customs Chief duty free concession
The Public Service Ministry did not grant the approval for Head of Customs at the Guyana Revenue Authority, Lancelot Wills, to benefit from duty free concession to import a 2008 Toyota Harrier vehicle.
This was confirmed Monday by Permanent Secretary of the Department of Public Service, Reginald Brotherson. The PS was contacted by this newspaper and asked whether his Ministry would have approved the concession for which Wills had applied. It is protocol that government officials who wish to benefit from duty free concessions must apply to the Public Service Ministry for approval. According to Brotherson, “Mr Wills had applied for Duty Free. He had applied as Head of Customs and he wanted to bring in a particular car; a Harrier 2008 with an engine capacity of 2360 CC, but we didn’t grant the approval.” Brotherson said that he had written a letter to the Guyana Revenue Authority in this regard and it was dated November 30, 2016. The PS said that the reasons for disapproving the application were that the year of the vehicle had breached GRA’s regulations and the engine capacity of the vehicle was too high for the position that Wills held. GRA has instituted a regulation that does not allow for the importation of vehicles eight years or older. Further, Brotherson said that the engine capacity of the vehicle was too high for the position Wills holds. “So, because I think, it was over the required CC, we didn’t grant the approval. You see we are the Ministry that gives approval. Let me tell you what happens; we will give an approval based on whether the post (position) attracts travel allowance; that is the remit of the Department of Public Service. “It must be on the General Register of Authorised Travelling Positions. So we give that and we give the scale of the allowances. It is our remit to add or to remove and to recommend eligible officers in keeping with their employment engagement, whether contract or a part of the pensionable establishment. However, it is the GRA’s remit under the Act of 2015 I think to approve or disapprove of Duty Free Concessions.” Brotherson added that his Department would look at the position of the person that is applying for the concession to ascertain whether that position is named on the list of authorised travelling posts.
(Kaieteurnews.com)