the LRO has put several systems in place to alleviate further hiccups.“

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– deadline expires on June 22, work being done on weekendsThe Licence Revenue Office of the Guyana Revenue Authority is asking vehicle owners not to panic since they have 22 more days to secure their motor vehicle licences.The Licence Revenue Office has been overwhelmed ever since the department began issuing licences for this year and there have been complaints that the new computerized system being employed is not efficient.On Monday, there was a rush on the department as people were desperate to secure the document before the expiry date.Manager for Excise Tax, Licensing and Motor Vehicles Registration, Wayne Austin explains some of the problems that the department is experiencing to customers yesterday.However, according to Manager for Excise Tax, Licensing and Motor Vehicles Registration, Wayne Austin, the problem resulted from too many motorists mistakenly thinking that the expiry date was at the end of last month.At a hastily arranged press briefing at the Licence Revenue Office, Austin explained that the May 31 deadline was for the uplifting of Trade and Miscellaneous Licences.“There was probably some misconception that persons who are to purchase motor vehicle licence would have thought that Monday was the deadline and because of that there was an excess of persons coming here to renew their licences,” Austin told the media.He said that the situation was compounded by several power failures that affected the Smyth and Princes Streets office.Yesterday, the press briefing took place in the middle of one of the power outages that added to the frustration of the many clients who had formed queues to get their businesses completed.Austin said that the generator which serves the building is undergoing repairs. According to Austin, the LRO has put several systems in place to alleviate further hiccups.“We have extended our working hours from seven in the morning until five-thirty in the evening…also on weekends-Saturday from one to two and Sundays from 10 to two,” Austin said.This arrangement is expected to last up to the June 22 deadline.Based on the number of persons who are facilitated by June 22, the GRA will decide whether or not to extend the deadline.There is a 10 percent penalty for any person who applies for a licence after the deadline has expired.Another problem affecting the smooth running of the department is the failure of applicants to present the required documents.According to Austin, provided that persons present all the required documents and their relevant information is in the GRA system, it takes about three minutes to complete the transaction.“For new vehicles it will take a bit longer because you have to put the entire thing in the system; that takes another ten minutes,” Austin explained.The issuing of the computerized motor vehicle licences is part of a new initiative that is part of the GRA’s modernization process.According to Rovin Stanley, GRA’s Acting Public Relations Officer, when the department would have managed to have all taxpayers and motor vehicle owners on a database it will make for a much more compact and problem-free processing of licences.“It will be tamper-proof and there will be a lot of controls in place,” Stanley reminded.The new system will also allow other agencies, such as the Guyana Police Force to access the database to trace the owners of vehicles in the event of an investigation.He said that persons applying for vehicle licences could also access them at the GRA’S regional offices.But according to Stanley, most people are interested in obtaining the new computerized document and are therefore converging on the Licence Revenue Office which is the only location that is offering these at this time.He said that additionally, a lot of the work that the police would have done in terms of the inspection of goods vehicle, are being done by the LRO.“Commissioner General has put measures in place to have all goods vehicles, that is, those vehicles that are enclosed except for pickups and open back vehicles, examined here before we issue those licences,” LRO Manager, Austin told the media.In light of the rush on the LRO since the commencement of the issuing of the computerized licence, the department has constructed a new shed to accommodate the many persons who have to wait in long queues to complete their transactions.Different sections have been demarcated to facilitate the different aspects of their operations.“ersons who are coming to do other business such as obtaining the Miscellaneous Licence and Driver’s Licence could do that without any delay,” the Acting PRO stated.During the press briefing outside the LRO building several customers sought to hear first hand what was being done to address the situation.Many were satisfied that the LRO had taken the time to find ways to remedy the problems they are currently experiencing.