PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association, the largest private sector representative on the island, believes that the Business License Department has made a step in the right direction whereby elected officials delegate the procedural aspects of permitting to qualified civil servants allowing politicians to focus on the establishment of policies and procedures to prevent abuse of authority.
This new direction aligns itself with the suggestions the SHTA made in its previous article in encouraging Government to look at possible solutions by establishing a clear means/needs tested policy on who should get taxi/bus permits and licenses as well as a clear policy on the control thereof. Another suggested solution was public disclosure of the licensing and application procedure to be featured on the government website and the local online and printed media.
By establishing clear and transparent guidelines, the ability to issue licenses and permits to be used as currency to purchase political support would be reduced or possibly even eliminated. If our elected officials focus on the establishment of clear and transparent policies this would eliminate the ability to issue licenses and permits to be used as currency to purchase political support. This same approach could easily be applied to all other discretionary permits such as land grants, work permits, building permits, business licenses etc.
The decision by the Honorable Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunication – Ted Richardson is an example of setting and sticking to policy. The mandate issued to the head of the business license department to provide faster and more efficient services by being able to sign off on several of the licenses issued at this department, is a positive move towards clear policy and regulation.
SHTA, the largest business representative on the island, is dedicated to bringing quality to all aspects of life on St. Maarten by promoting sustainable economic development for its members in cooperation with the social partners and the creation of a fair marketplace. For more information, please contact the SHTA office: 542-0108, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit our website www.shta.com.