People pressure can force changes to Exxon contract – Jan Mangal -says 2% royalty way below global standard

Stating that the 2% royalty on oil from ExxonMobil was way below global standards and that the tax regime should have been greater, Presidential Advisor on Petroleum, Dr Jan Mangal says pressure from the citizenry has the potential to influence government to revise the contract with the American company. “Don’t underestimate the power that people…

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Could Guyana escape the natural resource curse? Part 4 – Some Dutch disease scenarios

In the previous column we explored the possibility of Guyana becoming a petro state overnight. A petro state is one in which most government revenue comes from oil royalties and profit share. The government is then tasked with spending and distributing these funds among competing interests. The last column was sceptical about the Guyanese state’s…

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Agriculture, renewable energy, not oil are keys for Guyana’s long-term sustainability

Although Guyana is expected to become an oil producer, energy expert Dr. Vincent Adams says agriculture and renewable energy will actually be its keys to long-term sustainability. Adams told Sunday Stabroek that this will be what he will be telling not only government but Guyana’s citizenry when he returns this year, after serving in several…

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