Private sector unhappy with many breaches of laws across the country

Chairman of the Economics and Finance Committee of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) Ramesh Dookhoo on Tuesday said private sector bodies are not happy with the way many regulations are being breached across the country.

While they are pleased with the ability of some government agencies to enforce the laws of Guyana, he pointed out that some laws are applied subjectively by regulators.

Speaking at the opening of an anti-corruption workshop by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, at the Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown, Dookhoo posited that one of the ways to help manage corruption would be increased penalties for those found culpable.

He told the News Room that the PSC has just started up an illicit trade desk where the public can report anything to do with illicit trade.

Illicit trade means fake goods using fake brand names; that is, putting on popular brand names on goods that are not representative of the quality that is associated with the original name.

Smuggling is an important part of illicit trade, he pointed out. “Smuggling takes place with high duty items. Alcohol is at the top of the list. Seventy to 80 percent of all the expensive alcohol that comes into Guyana is smuggled alcohol and that puts a lot of pressure on dealers.”

Dookhoo said this problem exists all throughout Guyana. “Go in a bar and order a shot of Johnny Walker or Hennessy….it’s illegal. It’s sold at a retail level at about 20 percent of the price, because the duty on alcohol is almost 200 percent,” he informed.

In addition to these breaches, he called attention to several other laws that are being broken in the country, such as labour related ones that include the non-payment of NIS, VAT, and other taxes.