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Guyana government moving to strengthen customs and trade administration
Jun 25, 2009 (Caribbean Net News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
GEORGETOWN, Guyana -- In order for Guyana to participate effectively in the international trade arena, the World Customs Organisation (WCO) has required that the country become an active participant in two international instruments, the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC) and the Safe Framework of Standards (SAFE).
This is the view of Junior Minister of Finance Dr Jennifer Webster as she addressed a workshop on Guyana Threshold Country Plan/ Implementation Project (GTCP/ IP).
Webster on Tuesday told participants of the training programme that government has, been taking steps to set standards for its customs and trade sector and these were highlighted by It was intended to help stakeholders learn more about the two instruments and arrive at a consensus for opinions about Guyana conforming to the instruments.
She added that the administration was committed to the continued implementation of the policies that aid in the improvement in tax administration despite being faced with many challenges.
"Facing global markets as a small open economy makes us vulnerable to the economic decisions of the bigger players. All our Caribbean nations and neighbours face this challenge... as a member of the Caribbean Community, we here in Guyana are working to resolve these issues," she said.
Webster referred to the National Trade Strategy, an initiative lead by the Foreign Trade and International Cooperation Ministry, which identifies ways of advancing Guyana's national interest by improving the country's internal and external negotiating objectives.
According to the government news agency (GINA), the government's role in this strategy involves establishing a policy that meets the needs of the private sector whose reciprocal role is to provide the impetus to achieve sustainable export expansion, employment, income generation and Guyana's economic growth. It was highlighted that export promotion and facilitation were at the centre of effective trade, and Webster highlighted that the time and cost of processing imports and exports are key factors influencing Guyana's competitiveness on the global market.
She alluded to a "World Bank Doing Business" index, which ranked Guyana low in the number of procedures to import and/ or export goods.
"Whilst Guyana's ranking is subject to a degree of inaccurate... information, it generally reflects the need to re form our import and export procedures to expedite, in a timely manner, trade transactions, thereby minimizing the cost of doing business here in Guyana," Webster added
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