The Integrated Regional Tax Office (IRTO) of the Guyana Revenue Authority in Bartica has been relocated to a new and more conducive location on the corner of Fifth Avenue and First Street.
The office will now provide the residents of Bartica and Region Seven with a number of services which include the processing of licenses, taxes and other related services.
A simple commissioning ceremony was hosted in recognition of this achievement since there has been the need for a new location to facilitate the service.
Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, who commissioned the new facility, opined that the re-establishment and relocation of the IRTO is a significant achievement for the Bartica municipality.
He added that it is also a testimony to the Government’s commitment to improving the quality of taxpayers’ services throughout Guyana.
“I am convinced that this structure will provide both a conducive and convivial atmosphere for staff and the public to conduct their business. I am of the view that it will also serve as a catalyst for taxpayers to be compliant and for the staff to offer the highest quality of consumer services to everyone who needs it,” Minister Jordan said.
He noted that residents should view the much-needed service as a means of showcasing what Bartica has to offer and also to demonstrate a level of decentralization.
“The onus is on you, the residents and the administrators to sell your town and to sell it beyond just being a transit stop or a mining community.”
GRA’s Commissioner-General (CG), Godfrey Statia, told the gathering that there is much to expect with the establishment of this service delivery mechanism in the town.
“The best is yet to come… We have only been here for a couple of weeks and in the coming months, the types of services that will be available to you the citizens of Bartica would be second to none, it will be available here as is available in Georgetown.”

Further, the CG gave insight as to what can be expected with regards to the integration of GRA services countrywide.
“Over the next couple of years every branch that we open would have the same service, whether you are from Lethem, or from Bartica, or from Anna Regina, and even Georgetown. Any office that you visit, any service you need will be available. You don’t have to go anywhere for it,” Statia explained.
Regional and Municipal officials were present.
Regional Chairman (RC), Gordon Bradford and Bartica’s Mayor, Gifford Marshall were both happy to witness the official commissioning and operationalisation of the IRTO.
Mayor Marshall stated, “Central government means business” as he has reflected on the continuous development that Bartica continues to undergo. He said the challenge of residents having to travel to other regions to process the necessary tax and licensing among other services is over.
This view was echoed by Bradford who said that these efforts of the government are on a continuum of bringing together all the relevant and need services to residents in every town and region, making it more accessible.
Last Tuesday, another IRTO was commissioned in Mabaruma, Region One. Along with the GRA Headquarters in Camp Street Georgetown, there are now IRT Offices countrywide.