Stabroek News accurately reported VAT statement by Reis
Stabroek News
January 24, 2007
In yesterday's edition of the Guyana Chronicle (GC) under the headline `Stabroek News attempting to mislead public on VAT impact - GINA' it was stated by GINA that a report in the Sunday Stabroek on the Banks DIH Annual General Meeting was a "deliberate attempt to misrepresent the facts regarding the impact of the Value Added Tax (VAT) on the company, and the business community as a whole".
The GINA comment further implied that Banks DIH Chairman Clifford Reis had labelled the Stabroek News report as a misrepresentation.
Stabroek News Editor Anand Persaud in response yesterday pointed out that Banks DIH had placed ads in all three dailies yesterday making it clear that Reis had indeed made the statement and that the company was simply clarifying what he had said.
Persaud said the GC report referred to a statement by GINA but that GINA Editor Steve Narine had told Stabroek News yesterday that no statement was issued by GINA on the matter.
Narine said the story was based on questions to GINA by the state-owned GC.
Persaud said he was appalled at the poor journalism displayed by both GINA and the Guyana Chronicle in this matter and hoped that they would do the honourable thing and withdraw the charge that Stabroek News had engaged in a "deliberate attempt to misrepresent the facts".