Business in Guyana 101

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AFC, APNU, Chronicle, Corporate Governance, Disclosures, Gospel Festival Guyana, Government, honesty, integrity, Manufacturing, Ministry of Finance, Office of the President, PNC, PPP, private sector, Regulation, US Ambassador, Yog Mahadeo

Forwarding this article on Business in Guyana 101

Today we introduce this course by providing some examples of the fascinating way that Business is conducted in Guyana.

Over the course fo the coming semester, we will get into the details of competition Vs Party Politics. Your facilitators for this course will include many persons who have had the experience of doing (or not) business in this wonderful country.

In many countries there is legislation and regulation – as in Guyana. But, in many countries there are independent commissions that oversee competition, consumer affairs, utility pricing etc. In Guyana we have these similar commissions. However they themselves provide a barrier to comeptition by being compromised by either the businesses or by the Government.

There is no independent functioning competition commission if there continues to be a Government appointed lackey in that position. In fact, the current “commission” is headed by an employee of a company that has been the prime example of predatory pricing as well as replication of products to destroy competition.

Here is an example: A (start-up) company decides to introduce a beverage in Guyana. Let’s assume that this beverage is manufactured and distributed in St. Lucia. Let us sat the beverage is named “The Star”.

Upon launch, of Star, a local beverage company will, within 3-4 weeks launch “Star power”, a new beverage, similar ingredients, exact packaging. It will then use its power to leverage against the distribution chain, the customs clearance systems and finally, it will take its local beverage and flood the St. Lucia market. In weeks, if not days, the imported product is dead and the duopoly continues, supported by the Government and its compromised commission.

The same commission is loud in its silence on the sheer volume of business handed on a platter to Government-based and Goverment-friendly businesses/ This creates a huge barrier for independent and clean business in Guyana.

A business person has to “know” some politician and has to have some slippery cheque leaves in his cheque book.

Over the past 10 years, the Government was instrumental in setting up certain private businesses. Let us take an example:
– A private business applies for duty-and-tax concessions to start a “new” business.
– The Goernment grants permission outside of the boundaries of the law to that person.
– That person then “wins” government contracts for huge sums of money. Each contact provides a pre-payment which is used to procure the needed items and fulfil the order.

Another example, the Favoured Company wins a contract to supply PVC pipes and fittings; it takes the pre-payment and procured the equipment and raw material to manufacture the items. It then receives duty-free concession for import and fulfuls the contract. It then owns another manufacturing arm, compliments of the Government. The examples are many.

Here’s another: A company is granted huge contracts by the Government to build a bond to help store the Government’s purchases. It received duty free concessions and waiver of taxes toward the project. From year 2, the company charges the Government to use its private storage space.From year 3, only that company can win contracts because it is the only one with storage space.

Yes, Guyana busines arena is filled with these examples.

There are people who sit on Government boards and, using insider-information makes investments, therby fleecing the National treasury. Yhe items are ordered from the makers of fake products in China – or that the local construction or manufacture is substandard. But the insider knows the maintenance budget too and plans well to use that in the long term.

Another example, the Government grants broadcast license to a small group of its friends and families. It exhausted the spectrum in the process. There can never be any real competition in TV or Radio in Guyana – ever!

The Business-Interest groups have sadly become compromised over the years. They are offered seats in Government boards, they are paid by the Government, they win contracts and apply successfully for tax exemptions (using insider information) – and they better dance to the tune or else. Some of the business-interest groups have had these same “contract winners” as their prime members and presidents, making the business waters even murkier. An example is one person who, as part of a government board, voted for the upgrade of a government facility – and after the upgrade, voted for it to be sold – and his was the winning tender.

But, unless you dance to the tune, there will be scandals, arrests and audits. Be prepared to hear that you own more property than you know of. Be prepared for every bit of attack, just because you dare to speak out.Be preapred for a fall out with “friends”, be preapred to be slandered about your wife, children, lovers or whatever in the gossip columns of the newspapers that they own and control. And, Be prepared for an income tax audit.

Meanwhile the corrupt heads of boards and commissions have had their pockets lined from the big businesses.

Maybe this is why this Course will be facilitated by a number of persons lest there be more martyrs like Satyadeo – All with the compliments of the Government of Guyana.
End of Business in Guyana 101.

Next in line for discussion, the Negaholics.

 

From:

https://guyanaindependentvoices.wordpress.com/2014/10/01/business-in-guyana-101/

 

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A letter to PM Modi

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accounting, Economic ties, India, India and Guyana, integrity, Modi, PPP

His Excellency,
The Prime Minister of India,

Dear Prime Minister,

 

I write you from country of Guyana.

 

Congratulations on your victory at the elections and congratulations on winning the hearts of Indian people the world over.

 

Sir, I wish to ask you one tiny favour – both on my personal behalf as well as on the behalf of the many Guyanese people who care for our own country Guyana. While this request may seem multi-faceted, it will resolve a lot of doubts and suspicions that abound with regards to our relationship with India.

 

Undoubtedly our two countries enjoy a healthy cultural and diplomatic relationship, but there seems to be a growing economic relationship.

 

We would like your Government to publicly declare:
1) The number of bank accounts held in India by people from Guyana.
2) The total value of these bank accounts held in India by people from Guyana.
3) The total sums, per year, for the past 12 years that were transferred from Guyana to India through the Indian Bank resident in Guyana.
4) The total sums paid, per year, to Indian businesses from business, individuals and the Government in Guyana.

This will help us to understand how money flows and capital flight have impacted our two countries and what degree of financial relationship exists between our countries.

 

We thank you for your time and look forward to help in this matter which might be insignificant to the Indian economy but very significant to ours.

 

Yours Sincerely,
Guyana Independent Voices (GIV)

His name was Krishna

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freedom, Government, Guyana, honesty, Inspire, Inspire Inc, Inspire Incorporated, integrity, Yog Mahadeo

He was born in Jail. His parents were jailed and under house arrest.

At that time, no one in the country dared to talk about the atrocities of the Government. Intimidation, jail, harassment, embarrassment, and even death awaited anyone who opposed the Government.

The Ruler and the Governing forces killed and destroyed all opposing forces and persons who dared to oppose them. The Government stole all the money from the treasury, built palaces, raped women, became drunken at every opportunity and used every state asset for their personal pleasure. Every citizen had to submit to them.

The Ruler even forced religious groups and religious persons to work along with him and to shower praise on the Government. They also controlled those persons who spread communication across the country.

And, after He was born, the Ruler and his Government learnt of a new generation, new leadership rising. They heard that the Young ones will rise and free the country. So, they sent spies and they killed anyone who dared to speak in opposition.

Yet, He was born. He led the Revolution against the Oppressors and continued to work intimately for the freedom of everyone from evil.

His name was Krishna.

He gave the world the Bhagwad Gita which gave Humanity the pathway to God, while entrusting us to ensure that we free ourselves from oppression and evil, even if that evil is wearing the garb of kith and kin. He told us that God is in Charge.

He also said that the wicked days will repeat itself, but that He will continue to exist in the Heart of the Righteous. He said we will always be free so long as we want to be free.

This August 17, we celebrate his Birth with thoughts of freedom from oppression, corruption and sin. We remember the life and teachings of Lord Krishna.

Long live the ideals and the teachings of Lord Krishna. May His teachings become reality in our lifetime.

The dhobhi

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Corporate Governance, Corporate veil, Disclosures, freedom, honesty, Inspire Inc, integrity, Yog Mahadeo

D’u know of the dhobhi,

A poor rich creature

Washing is his feature

Cleaning big boys stash

A-wash wash wash

 

Dhobhi speaks of everyone

As if he is of a mighty clan

But the Almighty watches

While he washes

A-wash wash wash

 

Politics, contracts and he washes

Leaders and Godless ministry

Crown, palaces, empires, stashes

And with a dash of ugly wizardry

A-wash wash wash

 

Poor people are a-sway

By the dhobhi’s lying brays

He descends everyday

Lowly speech a-spew’d trash

A-Wash wash wash

 

Pray for dhobhi, ‘cause his soul even wash’d

But while he’s a-washing all the wash

Printers print, monies flow, big screens flash

BUT innocent hearts suffer ’cause of these

Trash trash trash.

 

Yog – June 2013

Nepotism – It’s all relative!

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AFC, APNU, Canadian Ambassador, Chronicle, Corporate Governance, Inspire Inc, Inspire Incorporated, integrity, Office of the President, PNC, PPP, private sector, Regulation, Yog Mahadeo

Nepotism is described in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “favoritism (as in appointment to a job) based on kinship”. How many jobs in Guyana are given to the meritorious?

In the private sector, the business owner feels empowered to hire whoever he wants, friend, family, lover or just anyone that meets his/her fancy. However, private businesses are not obliged to follow the same rules of engagement as a public office.

Public offices and jobs are very different. Public office utilizes public funds (our collective contributions) to hire persons to compete and function in jobs that are for public purpose.

Nepotism creates the facility for collusion, theft, cover-up and of course rank corruption.

This is where the challenges arise. Can you identify what scenarios give rise to nepotism? Add more if you like.

Scenario 1: A person with the relevant qualifications enters the job market – and is edged out of the job trough a person who knows someone else or a familial relationship – but, in this case the person getting the job is qualified.

Scenario 2: A person with relevant qualification with a familial connection to someone in office, gets a job. The applicant is as qualified (or more qualified) than the next applicant for the same job.

Scenario 3: A person without relevant qualifications gets a job ahead of a more qualified person just because of their relationship with someone who is influential over the sector or area of work, then that is bad.

Scenario 4: There is no need for the job. Never was a job before, vacancy was never advertised. Job was created and filled because of the influence of someone.

Can you identify which of the above give rise to nepotism?  How many jobs were “created” over the past year? And who holds those jobs?

What about those sons and daughters who do NOT have a family as a Chairman, or an executive, or in high places? What chance do they have? Are they only entitled to a seat on Caribbean Airlines?

These questions are, of course, answerable by everyone, including those who accept favors, grants favors, wish to receive a favor and were never fortunate to be favored.

Let’s do some soul-searching and start identifying the areas that may be affected by nepotism. It is our collective monies, our taxes that are being used; the authorities are accountable to us.

Let’s not be nasty; let’s NOT name names wildly; instead let’s be aware of this problem, another cancer eating away at the fabric of our society.

I repeat, let’s not be angry with those who hold the jobs. It’s the executive who, the “influential” person that is guilty.

Let’s be aware of the problem and start the change today. Put a stop to nepotism.

No more acting – fill the vacancies!

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AFC, APNU, Disclosures, freedom, Government, Inspire Inc, Inspire Incorporated, integrity, Ministry of Finance, Office of the President, private sector, Regulation, Yog Mahadeo

Consultation and dialogue – these twin forces form an important aspect of political progress. But the Government of Guyana is not able to bring itself to understand its position and, therefore, the need for consultation and dialogue.

I cringe every time I hear GoG say what the opposition can and cannot do. Telling Mr. Granger that he is confined to a “Yes or No” position is, in my view, insulting the man who holds the title of opposition leader, a majority position parliament. Whether GoG likes it or not, there is a majority opposition that has been doing the right things, saying the right things and has been exposing wrong-doing and calling for due processes in place to encourage accountability and fair practice. This has been seen especially in the calls by the AFC for transparency, accountability and lean and mean structures – a model that was once touted by the PPP under Cheddie.

The suggestion by David Granger on the appointments for Chancellor and Chief Justice is a decent suggestion. It is a fresh approach, an out of the box approach for politicians steeped in years of mistrust, nepotism and favoritism. It is welcome. Advertising these jobs has merit and creates a clean process. But, then who are the potential applicants? Surely they must be Guyanese. I am sure there is a very short list of persons who could fill these roles. Can we get such a list and CONSULT and make the appointments?

FACT is, Acting Appointments are very risky. Actors generally perform to script and their decisions can be taken in context of their acting position. We do not want the perception that these persons are acting and will make decisions to keep their acting appointments. They should be way too senior and mature for that. But then so too should be the people in power.

(a Kaieteur News photo)

The President must have continuous dialog with the Opposition, instead of trying to hard-nose political will through because of the statutory obligatory position of the opposition leader on these things. It is a sum-zero game. We went through the years of Jagdeo-Hoyte disagreements/protests to be told that they will create consultation and dialog. So, as a people we demand that you guys meet and talk.

We believe that it is time for the Bar Association to stand up and be counted. The offices of the Chief Justice and Chancellor are too important. Step in, resolve this. Is it too much to hope that the Private Sector Commission can find some guts to also weigh-in?

Let us put this matter to rest and get the proper appointments in place for these important positions.

Happy Anniversary?

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My Guyana, this my beloved
Raped & beaten; Endures, cries,
Caught twix and tween timeless egos
Political gamesmanship, opportunism, power
Decency, leadership, vision, driven asunder

Yellow gold, green gold,
Black gold and white gold
All stolen, lost, destroyed
Diamonds, alum, sand and water
Blood of my parents and theirs, squandered.
My Guyana’s Eldorado is lost. Forever?

Patience, O Beloved
There are still those of us
Yet extant. We dare to care
Not for opportunities or power
But for You, my beloved Guyana

True independence as yet beckons.
For you, our dear land of Guyana,
We will free you from the shackles.
You are yet to become the heaven
The nirvana, the Eldorado, to be
Land of the free.

To my sons and daughters and theirs
I pray that your wishes for “Happy Independence”
Will be true and free.
When “happy Independence”
No longer be a wish
But a reality.

Uplinks and Monopoly

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Corporate veil, Government, GT&T, Guyana, integrity, Ministry of Finance, Office of the President, private sector, PUC, Regulation

I beg to disagree with the letters in SN/KN on the Monopoly GT&T being the sole entity for uplinks (or downlinks) (See http://www.stabroeknews.com/2013/news/stories/05/20/uplink-for-tvg-has-broken-gtt-monopoly-vieira/).

While GT&T can speak for itself, the matters of monopoly and its rights have long been debated by many legal luminaries and, to many, it remains open. A contract that has been deemed “ironclad” by the authorities (Kaieteur News, Aug 12, 2011), GT&T’s appropriation of spectrum, the internet and general communication was, in its own view, its contractual right. That perception of its right was challenged by many in both individual and commercial sense and Court decisions would have also dented perceptions from either side.

The Government is of the view, as many persons, that at the time of contemplation of GT&T’s contract with GoG, internet and IP communication was not in its current shape or form and therefore the contract could not have contemplated it. The company’s view of course is quite opposite.

While the monopoly would have surely contracted all the legal powerhouses to back its numerous litigations, it also ensured that it kept a tight fist on any approach to freedom in terms of communication.  We know that the monopoly is fully able to defend its position (real or perceived) as many people know and will react strongly to any person who disagree with their modus operandi.

Nevertheless, the fact is that there were many entities that “owned” their uplinks/downlinks. These included the call-centres, some commercial banks, Enetworks, Inet, Moviestar and a few other, inclusive of, I believe, GuySuCo and many private operators. President Jagdeo, during his term in office was quite adamant that he would not stop private businesses from having the freedom to use technologies that are present the world over but being strangled by the monopoly.  The nature of the businesses and persons who operated their own up/down links can be debated.

The fact remains that many persons and businesses operated their own up/down link, independent of the Monopoly.

Can we rise this Easter 2013?

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2013, AFC, APNU, Christianity, Christians in Guyana, freedom, Gospel, Gospel Festival Guyana, Governance, honesty, Inspire, Inspire Inc, integrity

Our Easter message, 2013:

Easter reminds us of the struggles one Holy Heart underwent for all of mankind. So important is the challenge that He went through. Beaten until his skin was stripped from his body, dragged through the streets, hands outstretched, tied to a beam, kicked and pushed to walk forward. He was then strung up and iron stakes driven through his palms and feet.

Yet, in His pain and suffering He prayed for forgiveness of the sinners. Regardless of the challenge, His Vision, His Mission and His Father was paramount.

When can we really really learn from Jesus? When can we learn that we too can face all the challenges and yet place our Vision, our Mission and our God as of highest importance? That our national motto be one of Love, tolerance and unity? That our teachers, lawyers, doctors, leaders, politicians, workers and you and me can place Him firmly in our heart?

Reality is that every parliamentary session starts with a prayer – but that’s where the prayer also ends, God is thereafter kicked out of Parliament. Each school day starts with a prayer, but God is then kicked out of school. Even our homes – each of us start our day with a prayer then we forget all about Him for the rest of the day – maybe until we end up in some difficulty to then call upon Him.

We forget about Him, but He never forgets us.

I wish we can all learn the deeper lesson you, me, our politicians, our leaders, everyone can learn from Jesus and the Bible. I wish we can all learn that we can place God first. That we can work toward making Guyana our heaven – God placed us here to build here, to develop this nation, to create wealth and end suffering, to share happiness and Glory – and then to ensure that we recognize that, to Him be the Glory.

Yes, persons crave wealth and for power. Nothing is wrong with wealth and is nothing wrong with power. But when it comes at the expense of our development as a Nation, then it is debatable. Anyone who acquire wealth and happiness making others miserable and by making other suffer is no different than those who laughed and threw stones as He was crucified.

I wish that our politicians can one day walk, like Jesus, with their hands outstretched, to remind them that nothing is theirs, nothing is permanent. I wish that every argument, every debate, every decision is based on what is good for Guyana instead of what is good for their party.

And so, this Easter passes by and I wish that we can rise again as a nation. With each passing day God gives us a chance to be born again. And so, we can let our country be born again. I pray that we can all rise again – and again and again until we are utilizing our full potential to develop ourselves, our neighbours and our nation.

I wish we can also be blessed to realize that we CAN stop criticizing each other and we CAN stop bringing each other down regardless of race, religion and culture. I wish that each of us can start caring for the environment and stop throwing garbage out. I wish we can realize that each piece of garbage we throw out in God’s nature, we not only clog up His creeks and rivers, but we also clog up our minds and humanity.

Dare I wish that every single parliamentary session must end with at least ONE achievement FOR GUYANA? Do I dare wish that the speaker can always end each session a summary of what was achieved FOR GUYANA? Do I dare wish that we can ALL support the good principles REGARDLESS of which party or race or culture? That like, Him, we do for this country whether they have power or not? That we do for Him?

If He withstood so much pain and suffering for us, then we must at the very least not let Him down. Love, respect and tolerance must abound all over Guyana.

Friends, just how we pray for our children and our health so too we must pray everyday for our leaders and politicians and professionals and community.

If they pray and we pray, then we will act in God’s light and His sacrifice will be for good reason – and Guyana, our dear beloved country, can rise from the morass of ego and corruption into God’s light.

We have to desire that change to make it happen, and we have to continue praying.

Time marches on…

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Many of us are eternally critical of everything under the sun. We bicker about the sunshine, the rain like everyone else….but we carry on and on and on about the leaders, the politicians, the religious leaders, the social leaders. More than ever we carry on about the President, the Ministers, and the Opposition, etc.

When Burnham was President, we moaned and groaned; then came Hoyte, we still grumbled and groaned. Then there were Cheddie and Janet Jagan, then Bharrat and now Donald.

We were moaning and groaning then and we are now.

We were leaving the country then, we are leaving it now.

We were complaining then, we are now.

We were angry then, we are now.

We were relentless in our criticism of Burnham. Some loved him; the rest hated him. Nothing he did was of any good to many Guyanese who were taught to hate and brain-washed with anti-Black and anti-Burnham sentiments. No project was of any good even though we all knew that he did do some good.

We were relentless under the Jagan’s watch, nothing was good. There had to be brimstone and fire.  Some loved them; the rest hated them. Nothing was good enough even though they did do some good. Many Guyanese were taught to hate them and many were brainwashed with anti-Indian and anti-Cheddi/Janet sentiments.

Then there was Jagdeo who many persons loved to hate. He too was cursed by many yet loved by many. Now there is Donald and we are doing the same.

It is everyone’ right to spend their life’s time to hate or love, build or destroy, criticize or praise. It is your time of your life and you decide how much mind space you devote to whatever you like to do.

One cannot help being saddened with the fact that so much time is spent in hate and hate-mongering. What would be the state of our country and our world if some of those efforts are spent in helping to build, in motivating, in supporting something?

So many websites exist only for one purpose: criticize and destroy – and they hide behind the anonymity of the web. How many sites highlight the good things? If we can only identify the wrongs, then is there something wrong with us?

While we grumble about Donald, there is a hungry child that needs our attention. Lets pay heed. While we curse Jagdeo, a neighbor or a stranger needs our positive energy, let’s pay heed.

Yes, indeed we MUST identify wrongdoing and eradicate corruption and such things – but that cannot be the only thing we do, and the only thing we write about, and the only thing we expose. It seems like good news is not news. It’s only bad news that is newsworthy and read-worthy. There is so much concentration and exposure of the wrongs that we have lost any consciousness of good.  Do we know of anything good anymore?

Is it an innate hate and anger with everything? Is that what our Guyanese mentality is at its core? Is it our own disappointment with what we can and cannot do or achieve? Whether it is hate, anger or disappointment, that we feel, whether it is love, pride and joy – it is all of our making.

We must accept that the politicians are there by our doing. We put them there. We vote them in and grumble about them. BUT we must also accept that our state of livelihood is also our own doing.

This country’s economic and political immaturity is our own inaction. We pay bribes and spend money on substandard goods and make ourselves miserable.

Can we start to build this society and country by motivation, inspiration and love? Can we find one good thing to talk about each day of our life lest our life-time run out in punctuated negativity?

Non-violence but affirmative action must be our call. Non-cooperation with evil but glorification of good must be our style. But certainly we can beat negative with positive. Positive thoughts and affirmative action.

You see, friends, while we do the things we do, the grass is green, the sky is blue, the earth continues to spin and life goes on. The only one that loses time on the negatives would be us, those who spend time on it.

Time marches on. Tick tock tick tock.

Manufactured Costs Vs Manufacturing Costs

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Accountants, Accounting Body, Corporate Governance, Corporate veil, costing, costs, Disclosures, Governance, GRA, Guyana, honesty, Inspire, Inspire Inc, Inspire Incorporated, integrity, internet, layers, Manufacturing, Ministry of Finance, Office of the President, private sector, PUC, Regulation, Taxes, Yog Mahadeo

I promised some students of mine to do a piece on this. So here goes:

In the corporate world numerous cost structures are divided and subdivided into layers. These often are designed with the aim of facilitating management with a grasp of resource-utilization. There are many types of costs: direct and indirect, manufacturing and service etc etc.

Manufactured Costs

I wish to introduce the term, Manufactured Costs – as diametrically opposed to Manufacturing costs. The term may not be common-place, but the practice certainly is.

In every country there are individuals and companies, large and small that ‘create’ or manufacture some costs (expenses) to charge against higher profits or to lower these manufactured costs when returns are low – and then to focus on tax savings which can be deemed legal or illegal depending on the strength of the tax department Vs the company’s legal offices.

It is common practice to add costs (some call it add value) so that the price to the consumer is justifiably higher than would have been without these manufactured costs. Sometimes it is important to increase costs or decrease margins so that value-add activities are allowed, like quality checks etc.

However, the incidence of “manufactured” costs is as commonplace in the books as in the instances that it does not catch the eyes of regulators and regulating bodies that should overlook such things.

There are some Manufactured costs that are plain in sight. Look around the various businesses and you can find some for yourselves. You should find these examples since you pay for them!

Corporate Veils

Then there are complex systems of Manufactured Costs. Companies go into great pains to Manufacture these Costs so that 1) They can make higher return and 2) So that they can cheat on taxes.

Let me explain: if a company buys a product for $1 and resells for $2; it should typically be charging for a number of things including time and labour to sell etc. So, one can argue that the acceptable resale value might be $2. In an open market, competition and/or the elasticity of demand and supply would influence the price.

However, when that company creates layers of itself, then it upsells the product through its own layers, add cost to each layer and overcharge the consumer for the end product. To the eyes of the unsuspecting public, such selling price becomes justified. However, by peeling away the layers (corporate veils), you find the truth…hidden below many layers.

Some companies, especially those who are dominant do all sorts of shenanigans to ensure that their real purchase price is hidden. In this way, regulators and the tax department are blinded by the layers while the customers pay what is demanded.

Using the earlier example, the cost is $1 to the company – but the company buys it at a subsidiary level, Say the company has 3 subsidiaries, the subsidiary #1 buys for $1 and sells to Subsidiary #2 for $3; the subsidiary #2 sells to subsidiary #3 for $6. Remember at this stage there is no value-add only “profit-add”; so there is a ladder pricing that increases the “price” at every layer.

The final layer company subsidiary #3 will then sell the product for $10. Real cost is $1; market selling price $10. Company makes a killing.

These companies would argue that there is nothing illegal in their action. But it certainly lacks transparency.

Free-market

Where there is a free-market philosophy, that kind of shenanigan would be curtailed by market pressure since competition will force it down. However in markets that lack competition, these are areas that scream for legislators to ensure that such practice is nipped. Ultimately some persons will argue that all’s fair in the business battle – but these bad practices must be curtailed. This is why we have accounting standards and full disclosure policies etc – except that some companies and individuals operate with their own laws. Unfortunately they are rife in economies where there are monopolies and monopolistic tendency across the private sector. Or where the private sector is an arm (or a tool) of the public sector.

Legality Vs Morality

Even if not illegal, the question of morality begs to be answered. An act can be legal but immoral.

Such Manufactured Costs, created to defraud consumers and to rob the national treasury of taxes should be stopped.

In countries like Guyana, the watchdog bodies like the consumers’ association and the regulators must get off their backsides and ensure that there is fair-play. Neither this author not any consumer is opposed to companies or individuals making profits but this must take place in a system that allows for everyone to play by the same rules. There must be open market philosophy and zero state protection.

In markets like ours, there is no legal challenge to such wrong doings. There is very poor consumer representation with worse regulation-enforcement and as such, Manufactured Costs become a rapacious attack on people who have to otherwise struggle to survive and who have no choice on the products and the companies selling them.

Conclusion

One can argue that the above presentation has some flaws but, we cannot address the entire field of economics in such a small article.

In conclusion, there is obviously a need for a strong watchdog body for the consumers. These bodies must be non-political. In a society as ours where the small man will always remain small, there needs to be advocates who can ensure that certain rules are in place and that those rules are followed.

Walk on fire if you must….

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AFC, APNU, Government, Guyana, honesty, Inspire, Inspire Inc, Inspire Incorporated, integrity, love, PPP, Yog Mahadeo

Many of us are constantly battered by any number of challenges. Among these is the destruction of the moral fabric that is society.

We are constantly lied to and lied about. Many times persons and companies want us to hide wrong doings and want us to lie and cover certain things. Many times we are asked to cover fraud and bribery and corruption, to hide rape and immorality.

It is who we are that leads us to make a decision; to take action – either we do as asked, or, we walk away.

Doing as asked has its own ramifications. You become subsumed into the whole charter set by those who do not care for the soul. You are expected to lie, cheat, bribe and steal. You lose your true self to become a tool of immorality. This is what a society can degenerate to: A conglomeration of persons who becomes tools of immorality for those in offices and ownership – as well as those who want office and ownership. You are expected to toe the line and to epitomize their brand of immorality. Staying and doing as asked makes us part of the immorality.

And yet, walking away has its own, even worse, ramifications. Walking away means you must walk on fire. You are beaten by everyone. Everyone thinks that you lie, you cheat, bribe and steal. At that moment, every good you have done for everyone becomes history as everyone wants to ensure that their voice is added to your pain. After all, how dare you walk? And those who you walk away from will use every fiber in their being to create hell in every direction, after all, that’s their lot.

Those who chose affirmative but non-violent action are vilified and bruised by everyone else who wants to question that something must be wrong…again, how dare he walk? We use up a life-time of efforts to criticize and belittle, but are we brave enough to do the same – and to withstand the crazy world erupting in your face?

Yet, we all must ensure that at least once in our lives we turn our back on wrong-doing. When you are expected to do wrong things and asked to hide wrong things and asked to create immoral momentum, it is good to leave it way behind you, way below you.

Mahatma Gandhi said Non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good. This was echoed by Martin Luther King Jr, in his autobiography.

We all must at least once in our lives leave it behind us. Whether it’s in a Government Ministry or the business Office, whether it’s in the corporate world or the religious world. One day, one time, just once, tell them to embrace their own immorality – and you walk away.

It is then that your heart will rejoice and your soul will sing because true freedom is suddenly experienced.

There are two groups of people: those who walk away from evil and those who embrace evil. ….I know what camp I select. What about you?

Spare a prayer

Tags

2013, Guyana, Inspire, Inspire Inc, integrity, love, Yog Mahadeo

Can I this year make the world better by becoming ever better myself…..

 

This year I will pray. I will pray for this country, for its people and for its future.

 

I will pray

 

That the people of this country stay here and

help to develop and clean up this country.

 

That they will not only look for the best in others,

but can start giving their best to others.

 

That ridicule and contempt can be replaced with respect and tolerance.

 

That love and forgiveness can replace of hate and malice.

 

That efficiency and effectiveness can take the place of

sloth and indifference.

 

I will pray

That this country continues to allow us

to reap its crops and minerals

 

That there will be peace and love

That there will be justice and fair-play

 

I pray

That our future be enjoyed even more than today

 

That sickness and malice give way to health and care

 

That corruption, whether it’s real or perceptive

be erased from our psyche.

 

That domestic violence becomes a harsh memory

instead of a brutal presence.

 

That our kids hold our hands with pride as we deliver them to the doors of tomorrow.

 

I am praying, not dreaming and God is Great.