I personally was pleased with the show of maturity among some of the Parliamentarian.
I commend members of Parliament Patrick Illidge, Romain Laville and George Pantophlet for requesting the public meeting of today, December 12, 2013 to debate and get answers on the issue of 100.000 million guilders owed in taxes by the AUC.
This in my humble opinion is not a partisan situation, but must be a bi-partisan concern, for the mere fact that it is because it is a very serious issue.
It cannot be accepted under no circumstances that AUC is allowed to get away with that amount of money that this budget is in dire need of. And whoever is responsible for that "deal" must be held accountable.
There is one pertinent question which was not asked and with all due respect to the Finance Minister, I am not sure if he would have been able to answer the question of what condition or conditions was negotiated in granting the business license. I strongly believe that it is time that business licenses to foreign investors without conditions benefitting our people must come to an end! It must be so that the AUC (or former) should extend scholarships to one or more students who want to advance in the medical field.
Major hotels should also give scholarships to those students wishing to enter the hospitality field.
Government continue to grant tax free breaks and after the ten years, most of those companies change the NV name only to enjoy another tax free break, while there is no benefit whatsoever to the people of St. Maarten.
We brag about being a country yet we have not grown up as politicians. Every and anything to the benefit of the people of this country must be color-less,
Patricia Pantophlet