SERIOUS TENSIONS BREWING AT THE GRA

The government assumed the reins of power nine months ago. This is in contrast to the PPP whose members were ministers and technocrats/managers for over 20 years. The change of government should have brought about the replacement of most political appointees from the previous administration.
The government is entitled to and should put in place qualified individuals whom it trusts and who share their vision, goals and policies. But the vast majority of former political appointees are still in place. The government has only appointed a few of its supporters to state boards and to other government positions. It has to reward its members and financial contributors with jobs/contracts. This is in the nature of the two-party political system.
However, the government should appoint qualified people, especially if they are politically neutral. It should put professional experience and qualification before cronyism and party loyalty and retain the most skilled and experienced professionals who will put Guyana’s interest before and above party affiliation.
There are cases where the government has assumed that a civil servant who had worked closely with the former administration is partisan and cannot be trusted. The truth is there are several competent and professional civil servants who will do their jobs regardless of which political party is in power, but some have been accused as being supportive of the opposition.
Change for the sake of change is not helpful. The government needs to put the best team on the field regardless of race, class, age or gender. It should not hastily remove someone until the replacement is ready to assume the post.
This is important in the diplomatic and other services, such as the GRA which is considered the most important state agency in Guyana.Without it, the government cannot pay its bills. Therefore, a hiatus should not be allowed to develop between resignation and appointment of its senior staff, including the Commissioner General and deputies. It is important to have all senior officials in permanent positions so as to boost morale among staff members and increase efficiency and productivity.
However, serious tensions are brewing at the GRA because the most knowledgeable and qualified people in the agency are those who have had years of working experiences in its various units. But they are being stymied while the agency is plagued with unsolved human resources and conflict of interest issues.
In the midst of these issues, it will be a colossal error by the government to appoint an outsider as the Commissioner General, someone who was recently parachuted into the agency because of party affiliation. It will turn the agency on its head.
The GRA is a specialized organization with the twin responsibilities of a tax collection and an investigative agency. Its functions are very distinct, therefore, it requires someone with the requisite skills and competency at the head.
Efficient and smooth functioning of the agency requires inclusiveness, transparency and highly trained and competent professionals. Appointing a party member at its head will rupture the agency and hinder its tax collection ability. Its current Chairman has stated that billions of dollars in taxes are not collected each year due to poor management of the GRA, but he has done very little to prevent such losses.
The conducting of a series of tax workshops in the upcoming weeks in the regions by the GRA is being affected by low morale among its staff. Since its creation in 2000, the GRA has evolved but recently, that evolvement has been stalled due to poor leadership, party interference and low morale.
It must increase its infrastructure and technical capacity and adopt a vastly different approach to reduce revenue losses.