Philipsburg:--- The Governor of St. Maarten drs. Eugene Holiday did not sign the Landsbesluit that was issued to TAXAND by the former Minister of Finance Hiro Shigemoto who was arrested on Monday morning. Minister of Finance Roland Tuitt told members of the media on Wednesday during the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefing that the draft report submitted to him by SOAB on the TAXAND affair has not yet been discussed with the Council of Ministers. However, he has decided to shed light on two areas of the report. Minister Tuitt said that the report indicates that the Governor of St. Maarten drs. Eugene Holiday did not sign the LB neither did the Governor cooperate with the SOAB investigators to give the investigators an insight on the issuance of the LB. Tuitt said the SOAB clearly indicated that internal procedures in government have to be properly documented and that when payments were made procedures were not followed.
The Governor of St. Maarten drs. Eugene Holiday said he will not comment on the issue when asked for a comment on why he did not sign the LB and why he did not cooperate with the SOAB investigators.
Finance Department Mess.
When asked by SMN News if the person who obtained the TAXAND contract from the former Minister of Finance was arrested in Curacao since TAXAND filed a complaint against Judith Brewster for embezzling Naf.100,000.00 from the company, Tuitt said he did not get any information on the ongoing investigation. The Chief Prosecutor of Curacao Heiko de Jong and Chief Prosecutor of St. Maarten Hans Mos have both declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
SMN News also asked the current Finance Minister Roland Tuitt who was heavily criticized by the former UP/DP appointed Minister Hiro Shigemoto to say what are some of the suspicious things he found when he took office, Tuitt said when he took office they looked at certain items and those that they did not agree with was not approved by the National Alliance, Democratic Party, and IND Government. SMN News reporter pressed the Finance Minister for details on which projects he found and did not approve and Minister Tuitt said that the UP/DP led government wanted to contract a company to implement American football in the schools on St. Maarten. SMN News was also reliably informed that the former Minister of Finance wanted to award a contract to a family member of the former Deputy Prime Minister Theodore Heyliger to the tune $100,000.00 to fill sand in a bottle which would have been distributed to tourists when they arrive on St. Maarten.
Former Parliament of Netherlands Antilles Eliminated Casinos from TOT.
The Finance Minister also said that he met with the Casino Association and they had an agreement but it appears as though the Casino Association has had a change of heart based on the articles he read in the newspaper. When asked by SMN News who eliminated the casinos from paying Turn over Tax, Tuitt said the Parliament of the former Netherlands Antilles eliminated casinos from TOT long before St. Maarten became a country. SMN News reporter then asked the Minister of Finance if he as Minister of Finance for Country St. Maarten envisioned amending the law which would allow casinos on St. Maarten to pay TOT like all other businesses on the island. Minister Tuitt said that his Ministry is busy working on a new tax structure and all of those issues will be addressed. This new tax structure he said should be completed by 2014.Tuitt said a study will be made on each branch and documented so that everyone even visitors will have to pay their fair share of taxes.
Pensioners COLA will be paid by end of week.
Minister Tuitt also announced on Wednesday that the Cost of Living Allowances (COLA) for pensioners will be paid out by the end of this week. Tuitt said that government has put in place everything so that the COLA can be paid before the end of the week.
