SXMElections.com

MARIGOT--Harmonisation of taxes, rooting out abusers of social benefits, and controlling immigration were among topics marked for high importance at a meeting between the two island governments in Hotel de La Collectivité on Wednesday morning.

It was the first courtesy visit organised between the two administrations since Marcel Gumbs became Prime Minister of Country St. Maarten. The opportunity afforded elected officials and the respective technicians from both sides to meet their counterparts, verify dossiers and exchange contact details.

As Prime Minister Gumbs pointed out, establishing communication channels is the first step in the cooperation process.

“There is cooperation, there has been cooperation, but we need to intensify it,” he said at a press briefing afterwards. “One of the points we discussed was the joint waste water treatment plant project for Cole Bay and Marigot, which will be financed by the European Development Fund. In February, the Prime Minister of the Dutch side was appointed by the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) as the Regional Authorising Officer, which means the 40-million euro envelope from the fund will be coordinated by the Dutch side for the region and partly used for the waste water treatment plant. The French side will get its own financing for the plant, separately from the EU.”

The often disputed demarcation of the Oyster Pond boundary was also raised. Gumbs indicated the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Paris will start talks on that issue in June or July. The Oyster Pond issue as an inland water is in a separate portfolio to the recent agreement establishing the demarcation of sea borders. Gumbs clarified that an agreement had been reached between the two countries on the sea borders between the Dutch side and St. Barths, but was not yet signed.

“It was agreed by the respective technicians and will be signed in the next three or four months,” he said.

During the meeting, MP Daniel Gibbs presented Prime Minister Gumbs with a copy of the Franco-Dutch Police Cooperation Treaty, which was recently ratified in the National Assembly on March 19.

“This is good news and another step forward in that we have a structured and regulated treaty, where law enforcement can truly cooperate with each other in fighting crime,” Gumbs noted.

President Aline Hanson estimated the treaty should come into effect “within one or two months from now.”

Another point discussed was the possible harmonisation of taxes on both sides, not to have the exact taxes on each side, but to know what each side is doing and to find a balance between the two in the their application and implementation.

“The idea behind this is to avoid the to and fro between both sides, where people try to escape taxes, Gumbs explained. “Non compliance in paying taxes is a serious problem for both our governments. For government to function, it needs tax revenue. Non compliance is way too high on both sides, between 30 to 40 percent.

Regulating and controlling the abuse of social benefits is another priority for both governments.

“We have nothing against people looking for work, but there are people, who intentionally abuse the system and that we have to protect,” Gumbs continued. “We’ve talked about it together and also with Préfet Chopin, but there are privacy issues on the information. You cannot exchange lists just like that. So we will probably try to sit down and compare lists without giving them to each other. People are collecting dishonestly on both sides and they need to be scratched from the system.”

Cooperation in terms of emergency situations and natural disasters was another point.

“I would love to see the day, for example, if there is a major fire the firemen from the Dutch side know where the French side hydrants are and vice versa for the French side firemen.”

He said the police cooperation treaty would help in controlling immigration with the posting of reciprocal agents at all ports of entry. However, human smuggling at remote beaches is still a concern due to St. Martin’s proximity to the US Virgin Islands.

“Our location is a blessing in one way and a curse in another way”, Gumbs added. “I have just had a meeting with the Minister of Defence in the Netherlands. We talked about improving the services of the Coastguard. I requested from the Minister that it is important for the Coastguard on the Dutch side to have a very close working relationship the French and US Coastguard, because we are in a region where human smuggling and drug transhipments are prevalent.”