PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament George Pantophlet says that enough time was given to the Minister of Finance Martin Hassink to seek legal advice on the matter of the 100 million guilder AUC tax deal. The Member of Parliament finds it strange that he as a representative of the people was told that the people's business was a private matter. The Member of Parliament will be sending a letter to the Minister requesting the information the Minister claims to already have in his possession. If this does not materialize then the Member of Parliament will be requesting a meeting of the Committee of Finance of which he is chairman to which the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams will be invited to present whatever available information and or documentation they posses on this matter. The preference in first instance is to have a closed door session. But it must be explained as to how 100 million guilders was not collected from the purchase of the former AUC by DeVry a very prestigious institution with a good reputation. The Member of Parliament says there is another recourse established by the constitution which he can follow but is leaving it as a last resort. He also feels that enough time has been given to the Minister of Finance to update Parliament on the process of the draft laws being prepared to increase taxes on alcohol and tobacco, implementation of the increase of dividend from government owned companies, and the increase in casino fees. He needs to know whether these will be ready to be debated in Parliament during the discussion on the 2014 Budget.
