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PHILIPSBURG:--- In the later part of 1989, Mr. Rudy Irion paid a visit to the home of Dr. Lloyd Richardson, to present a concept for a substance abuse rehabilitation program, which Mr. Irion had been challenged to create. The goal was to request that Dr. Richardson put together a board of directors and lead the charge of the rehabilitation program Read more

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Justice Rafael Boasman made clear on Wednesday that he will stand by his statements when he said the Justice Academy was not established. The Minister said that indeed the former Minister of Justice Roland Duncan and Roland Tuitt went to notary Mingo to register the Justice Academy as a foundation and while the articles of incorporated were drafted the process was not finalized Read more

Duncan says Justice Minister should do proper research.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Justice Rafael Boasman confirmed on Wednesday that the Justice Academy is not a registered entity within the Justice Ministry. Minister Boasman was asked by SMN News to clarify his statements on the establishment of the Justice Academy. Asked if the diplomas issued from the institution of the years are valid and are recognized the Minister said that the establishment of the institution has nothing to do with the diplomas since the curriculum that are followed are from recognized institution Read more

Motion Tabled To Aid In Avoidance Of Criminal Prosecution For Back Taxes

PHILIPSBURG--Government has been called on, via a yet-to-be voted on motion from Parliament, to initiate a public campaign to inform the population of the possibilities it has to make use of the tax facilities provided by General Ordinance on Taxes, such as the voluntary disclosure scheme (“Inkeerregeling” in Dutch) on how to avoid criminal prosecution under law.

  The motion also calls on Government to allow for a longer period to pay taxes owed and adjust its collection policy accordingly.

  Finance Minister Richard Gibson Sr Read more

PHILIPSBURG:--- Finance Minister Richard Gibson Sr. told reporters on Wednesday at the Council of Ministers press briefing that the St. Maarten Medical Center owes the government of St. Maarten over NAF.7M in back taxes.
The Finance Minister said that SMMC was unable to pay their taxes over the past years and hopefully when the current building and land is sold to the company that will construct the new hospital, the government of St Read more

Dp Puts Fatca Back On The Agenda

St. Maarten News – It is not the first time that the faction of the Democratic Party wants to discuss the Fatca – the American Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act – and its consequences for local businesses and banks (see related story on page 3). In February 2013, there was a similar request by then MPs Roy Marlin and Leroy de Weever Read more

Government About To Collect 13 Million From Casino Sector

Parliamentarians happy with withdrawal increased road tax

St. Maarten – By providing the receiver’s office with a mandate, the government is able to collect 13 million in tax arrears from the casino-sector, Finance Minister Richard Gibson said yesterday afternoon during a meeting of the Central Committee where he, as announced on Wednesday, withdrew the draft law to increase the road tax in 2016.

In a brief introduction, the minister told parliament that he would like to make some changes to the draft the previous government had submitted Read more

Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs: “I Will Not Back Down”

Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs (left) makes his position perfectly clear while Ministers Hassink, Sams and Connor look on. Photo Today / Andrew Dick

St. Maarten – “I will not back down,” Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs told this newspaper yesterday afternoon while he was walking back to the government building, where earlier yesterday he shed his light once more on the constitutional crisis that holds the country in a deadly embrace.

Professor Arjen van Rijn repeated yesterday in the Antilliaans Dagblad his firm position on the constitutional crisis: when the parliament hits, the cabinet is allowed to hit back Read more

Government has ‘autonomous right’ to dissolve Parliament

~ Governor wrote in 2013 letter ~

PHILIPSBURG--“The right to dissolve Parliament by national decree is a constitutional and autonomous right of the Government,” wrote Governor Eugene Holiday in a letter dated May 16, 2013, to then-Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams when she tried to stopped the then-National Alliance (NA)-led Council of Ministers from invoking Article 59 of the Constitution.

The letter came to light this week as political tension intensified between the newest NA-led coalition with a majority in Parliament and the UP/De Weever/Marlin-Romeo-supported Council of Ministers, after the crumbling of the United People’s (UP) party-led coalition.

The current Marcel Gumbs Cabinet has held tight to the view that it is its right to dissolve Parliament in the face of the shifted majority in Parliament Read more

>PHILIPSBURG: --- Information reaching SMN News states that the eight members of parliament who voted a motion of no confidence against the current Gumbs cabinet already have candidates that will fill the Ministries.
SMN News learnt that Leader of the National Alliance William Marlin will become the next Prime Minister of St Read more

Na Mp Pantophlet Seeks Clarity On Internal Control Department

St. Maarten – Member of Parliament George Pantophlet disclosed yesterday that he will be submitting some questions to Minister of Finance Martin Hassink regarding the setting up of an internal control department. Pantophlet also plans to request a copy of an agreement signed between the SOAB and government. “This agreement apparently has in it that the SOAB would set up the internal control department within 2 years, write the internal control process and also train the employees Read more

Pantophlet wants info on two missing financial controllers

PHILIPSBURG--Two ministries are without financial controllers. This is a cause for worry, says National Alliance (NA) Member of Parliament George Pantophlet.

The Education Ministry does not have a controller and the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI controller has been appointed the concern controller, Finance Minister Martin Hassink told MPs on Thursday.

Pantophlet plans to send questions to Hassink querying who authorised the transfer of the VROMI controller and who is now authorised to approve financial transactions for the two ministries Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament George Pantophlet will be submitting some questions to the Minister of Finance Mr. Martin Hassink regarding the setting up of an internal control department. The Member is looking forward to these questions being answered in writing. He needs clarity on this matter since claims have consistently been made by former Minister of Finance Roland Tuitt that during his tenure this was done Read more

>PHILIPSBURG: --- Several veteran and long standing police officers who have been waiting for their promotions are now peeved at the police management team whom they said are handpicking persons that are not qualified for top positions while officers of the force have been waiting for years to get their promotions.
Some of the officers spoke to SMN News on the condition of anonymity on Friday said that Jadira Gjisbertha, a scale 9 officer was chosen to take up a scale 12 position which was vacated by Pico Simmons who went on pension Read more

Parliament approves 2011 annual accounts

PHILIPSBURG--Parliament unanimously approved the 2011 Annual Accounts of Government on Thursday. The approval comes three years after the period the accounts cover and well past the deadline stipulated by law.

The late tabling of the accounts was due to a severe backlog in the Finance Ministry; that backlog has since been cleared by current Finance Minister Martin Hassink who was at the plenary session of Parliament.

Hassink told the Members of Parliament (MPs) the backlog in the annual accounts is now a thing of the past Read more

Upgrade Dutch Quarter Delayed, Not Forgotten

European subsidy-millions remain available until December 5

St. Maarten – What happened to the European funds St. Maarten supposedly received for the upgrading of Dutch Quarter? Former Vromi-Minister William Marlin announced at a “simply yet significant signing ceremony” on the De Weever property on June 25, 2012 that the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) had committed €4.75 million ($6.1 million) to the project and the government put up an additional 1,73 million ($2.25 million) Read more

Govt losing head tax on inter-island vessels

PHILIPSBURG--Government is losing an estimated US $600,000 annually from non-collection of the US $6 head tax from inter-island vessels. This figure was shared in Parliament on Tuesday, by United St. Maarten (US) Party Member of Parliament (MP) Frans Richardson. He gathered that figure from the industry.

Vessels operating especially ferry services to the neighbouring islands are getting away "scot-free" from making the payment of US $6 a person, because government does not have any collection mechanism in place to monitor and collect the fee.

This collection, in particular for Simpson Bay Lagoon where most of the traffic originates, should be carried out by Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority Corporation (SLAC), an entity of St Read more

Aruba Health Minister Pays Visit To Pm

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Minister of Public Health, Elderly Care & Sports, the Honorable C. A. Schwengle MD of Aruba pays a courtesy visit to Honorable Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs.

Minister Schwengle MD is on SXM to visit Interim Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor the Honorable Mrs. Rita Bourne-Gumbs.

Former St Read more

Editorial - A better way

The skirmish between a security guard and client at the Receiver's Office (see Friday paper), although an isolated incident, could be indicative of the kind of stress and frustration caused by long lines at the government agency. The story did not mention whether the man in question had come to pay his road tax, but considerable waiting times for such were reported both at the main location on Pond Island and the Public Service Centre at the Simpson Bay Market, despite the drawing of numbers for a turn system used there.

While some may want to blame management and/or the employees, it's realistically quite a challenge to process 31,028 motorists in just two months in addition to the usual monthly tax and other payments Read more

MP Matser gets two years for tax evasion

PHILIPSBURG--United People's (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Silvio Matser was sentenced by the Court on Wednesday to 24 months, 18 of which were suspended, on three years' probation and 240 hours of community service, for tax evasion Read more

Editorial - As much about quality

Government’s personnel cost has increased more than foreseen, Finance Minister Martin Hassink told Parliament on Tuesday, and is fast becoming “unaffordable.” He gave no clear indication as to why, but a perceived lack of efficiency in certain cases resulting from sheer incompetence may well have something to do with it.

For example, in the US persons have to take a special exam to enter the civil service, where the rank and pay for those who pass it are determined at least in part by the result Read more

Opinion: Sensible Decision (Write-Off Tax Debts Pre 2006)

The Council of Ministers took a sensible decision by leaving a policy that takes all tax debts from 2006 and earlier years off the books in place.

Former Finance Minister Roland Tuitt published the policy in May 2013. It triggered a remarkable advice from the Social Economic Council (SER) that claimed that the policy left more than 4.5 billion guilders in taxes uncollected Read more

Silvio Matser facing prison time, big fine

~ In Energizer tax evasion case ~

PHILIPSBURG--United People's (UP) party Member of Parliament and construction company Energizer NV former director Silvio Matser (48) is facing 24 months in jail, eight of which are to be suspended, with two years' probation and payment of a NAf Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament George Pantophlet is asking Government to ensure that the government owned companies comply with their responsibilities towards the shareholders in actuality the people of St. Maarten. The member wants a report from government as to whether government owned companies are paying their concession fees Read more