BaiShanLin no longer allowed to do as it wants in Guyana -Trotman
Speaking at a post-cabinet press briefing this afternoon, Minister Trotman said that the company is still not being allowed to export logs and has come under scrutiny from the Guyana Revenue Authority which has started to seize company assets over taxes owed.
Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Troman has indicated and given the assurance that the BaiShanLin logging company is still no longer allowed to do as it wants in Guyana.
Speaking at a post-cabinet press briefing this afternoon, Minister Trotman said that the company is still not being allowed to export logs and has come under scrutiny from the Guyana Revenue Authority which has started to seize company assets over taxes owed.
Minister Trotman said “I can’t agree that it is a business as normal arrangement. That is not the case”
Trotman was at the time responding to a question about whether the Government was maintaining a relationship with the Chinese company although it had not delivered on its end of the contract that it signed under the previous government.
“There has been no shipping of logs, the GRA has written an assessment and made a demand for taxes owed and the GRA has gone ahead to take what equipment they could find”, he added.
He noted that the government will have to engage with the company as it transitions to new owners and the new owners have already indicated how they intend to address the issues of concern.
A state-owned Chinese company has bought up 51% of the shares in BaiShanLin and is expected to execute a full take over within months.
A team from that company is expected in Guyana during the month of May to meet with Guyanese government officials.
The BaiShanLin company was granted billions of dollars worth of concessions under the PPP government but the company failed to complete several agreements that formed part of its contract with the government.
