Business

by Gary Eleazar Communities across the country with no access to telecommunication services will soon be accommodated through a special fund to be set up, as part of the provisions under the recently approved Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill 2016. Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, elucidated this point on Wednesday when he appeared before the Standing Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources. ...

Former students of the University of Guyana, who have not repaid student loans to the government, would soon have the interest rates waived, government hinted on Thursday. Briefing the media on the outcome of this week’s cabinet meeting, Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman said a detailed announcement on the future management of the student loan scheme would be made ...

by Gary Eleazar Guyana has lost more than US$18 million dollars under its Forest Protection Agreement with Norway inked in 2009. Marlon Bristol, Head of the Project Management Unit of the Office of Climate Change (OCC), made the charge on Wednesday when he testified before the Standing Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources. He was among the many department heads to ...

by Gary Eleazar The coalition A Partnership for National Unity+ Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) government says it, “acknowledges” the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS)–flagship project of former, President Bharrat Jagdeo–but it is looking to adopt a different approach in terms of Climate Change challenges, since that strategy was limited. This was among the many disclosures made on Wednesday when the ...

by Gary Eleazar Investors looking to lease lands for the establishment of industrial sites, agricultural or other domestic purposes will soon have to pay an increased rental fee, as Government is looking to go ahead with a land re-evaluation exercise. This disclosure was made by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, when he appeared on Wednesday, before the Standing Parliamentary Select ...

The Shipping Association of Guyana (SAG) on Wednesday moved to the High Court to quash a decision by City Hall’s administration to charge GYD$25,000 for the movement of laden shipping containers to and from wharves. In the name of its Secretary, Ian D’Anjou, SAG also wants the High Court to find that efforts to charge a container tax on shipping ...

The two main phone companies say they are now awaiting government’s next move to end the telephone monopoly, with the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) saying it wants its contract with the Guyana government honoured. Chief Executive Officer of Digicel (Guyana) Limited, Kevin Kelly said in a brief comment that the passage of the Telecommunications Bill by the National Assembly is the ...

Junior Finance Minister, Jaipaul Sharma on Tuesday said government would soon increase the ceiling for contracts for which Cabinet must offer its no-objection if agreement could not be reached on establishing the more transparent Public Procurement Commission. “The law stipulates that Cabinet’s role should be phased out and by government increasing the limit is an indication that we are going ...

by Gary Eleazar Guyana will for the first time in its 50-year history as an independent nation operate with a fully liberalised telecommunications sector, with Monday’s parliamentary passage of a modern telecoms law. “This legislation will allow other companies to ensure the local market offer a variety of services and benefits…including more mobile rates, land lines and a host of ...

Public Accountant and Attorney-at-Law, Godfrey Statia  has been appointed as the new Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), according to usually reliable sources. He was chosen from among four applicants by the GRA’s Governing Board. When Statia assumes office before month-end, he would become the next substantive office holder after Kurshid Sattaur with whom the tax collection agency ...