Passage of Travel Voucher Tax (Amendment) Bill will see changes in the way ticket tax is collected from airlines

Finance Minister Winston Jordan presenting the Travel Voucher Tax (Amendment) Bill 2016 tonight (Friday January 6,2017) in the National Assembly said it empowers the Guyana Revenue Authority Commissioner-general to determine which airlines will pay the Travel Voucher Tax directly to GRA and which airlines will be subject to other arrangements.

The minister said too that bonds can be lodged by airlines collecting the Travel Voucher Tax and not remitting it to the GRA.

According to the Explanatory Memorandum, the Bill “provides for the exemption from payment of travel voucher tax of certain persons including persons 65 years and over, children under 7 years of age, diplomats and flight crew.”

The Bill “gives power to the Commissioner-general to appoint collection agents for the collection of travel voucher tax and for its remission to the Commissioner-general and provides a penalty for failure of a collection agent to remit the tax within the time determined by the Commissioner-general.”

Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, deemed minister Jordan’s position as “obtuse” accusing him of neglecting to recognize the Opposition’s arguments with regards to the Bill and its implications.

According to the Opposition Chief Whip, considerations were not made with regard to the impacts the changes in the law would bring about.

Jordan, in his rebuttal, said the amendments put forward are subject to consideration by the Attorney General’s Chambers, pointing out that the measures are aimed at protecting the country’s revenue.

The Travel Voucher Tax (Amendment) Bill 2016 was passed in the National Assembly by a Government majority.