WorldWide Drilling Resource

by Tim Rasmussen I just returned from a visit to Guatemala to check on some things and try to establish an understanding of what would be required of Water For Life (WFL) under the new regulations put in place after the scandal last year in the government. The scandal resulted in the election of a new president, and involved the importation of containers without proper duty being paid. The previous vice president is now in jail, as are several other officials. The scandal and resulting changes have huge implications for WFL. I spoke with our accountant and others in an attempt to learn how much WFL would be affected. The changes are significant and impact our work in Guatemala. First, all assets of nonprofit entities such as WFL must be registered with the tax authority, SAT, and must be given a regis- tration number. This mainly applies to vehicles. Second, all payments to the government must be electronic. This means there must be new accounts set up in the name of Water For Life, and these accounts must have a PIN associated with it. These accounts will be monitored by SAT, with monthly reports filed by the accountant regarding these accounts. Third, the new account must have U.S. dollars in it sufficient to demonstrate stability. I could not get the accountant to tell me how much this would be. The best he would say is he would check with SAT and let us know. Fourth, WFL would be required to document that nothing we imported would be sold. This includes material or services. It is nothing new for us, but now apparently the scrutiny will be increased and the penalties for violations are seizure of assets of equipment, along with criminal penalties. As is normally the course of such things in Guatemala, if an allegation or suspicion of violation of law is raised, because the well-known rule here in the U.S. of innocent until proven guilty has not been established in Guatemala, the government will take an action like seizure until a person has established their innocence. Sounds like Guatemala is learning some of the lessons of the developed countries, at least regarding money, but the other principles of legal procedures enjoyed by us have not yet become established. I believe we can comply with these new requirements and, even though it will be more expensive for us to work, I am thankful the Good Lord, who is in charge of this entire project and who has always given us a never-ending supply of just enough, will continue to provide. If you would like to help, contact Gary Bartholomew at 509-466-5075 or 509-939-1941 Tim Tim Rasmussen may be contacted via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com 43 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® SEPTEMBER 2017