|
Impact on revenue collection too significant to ignore – GRAThe Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has taken note of the large number of individuals and entities that have become involved in the international telephone call business.According to a press release issued by the Authority yesterday, the effects of these operations are evident in the significant reduction in revenue collected from legitimate providers of international telephone service.GRA noted that these individuals and businesses have essentially created illegal telecommunications networks that employ authorized VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) equipment for unlawful purposes, or VSAT equipment without the requisite licenses, SIM banks, broadband Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), and international Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers like Vonage, Skype, and Packet 8 to offer outbound and inbound voice calls to the public for a fee.“These operations are illegitimate and essentially result in tax evasion, since no revenue is paid on these calls. These operations are increasing rapidly, and GRA’s calculations indicate that their collective impact on the national revenue collection effort is too significant to ignore,” the release stated.It was explained that all telephone calls made from,Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale, or received, in Guyana without utilizing a properly licensed carrier undermine the revenue collection by avoiding the payment of Value Added Tax (VAT), which all telephone calls attract, and reduces the taxable income of legitimate telephone operators, and therefore the amount of Corporation Tax collected by GRA.The GRA plans to intensify its surveillance and investigative activities, in collaboration with the competent relevant sector agencies, to identify and prosecute defaulters to the full extent of the law.Members of the public are being encouraged to report the existence of this type of operation to the GRA. |
|