Philipsburg:--- Island Council lady Maria Buncamper Molanus said the National Alliance/ Heyliger and Laveist executive council lacks vision and simply does not know how to handle the people's business. The island council lady said the former executive council headed by the Democratic Party had all the necessary paper work in the pipeline for the National Health Insurance take over. She said a complete policy was prepared and St. Maarten was ready for the changes prior to them leaving office but today all of this was put on hold and the current executive council is busy signing off on Service Level Agreements (SLA).
The island council lady said she wants to know what is government's position on the National Health Insurance. Buncamper Molanus said just recently the executive council said that SVB employees will be taken over when St. Maarten achieves its status change. However, based on the calculations done their will be a surplus to provide health care and she wants to know what and how government will deal with the surplus.
She wants to know who would be controlling the Telecommunications and who would be collecting the fees on telecommunication according to the SLA signed.
Buncamper Molanus went on to say that the members of the Democratic Party believe that the amount placed on the budget for additional taxes was not a reliable figure.
During the budget debate, the executive council said they were going to take additional measures to collect some 33 million guilders in back taxes. She said she does not know if the executive council is aware of the effects this would cause on businesses, unemployment, and people of St. Maarten. She called on the residents of St. Maarten to seek professional advice when confronted by the island receivers and they should seek a payment plan if they are not able to make the payment in full.
Also commenting on the collection of the taxes and the measures that will be used by the executive council was the leader of the Democratic Party Sarah Wescott Williams. Wescot- Williams said in her opinion the executive council is looking to milk blood out of stone to collect the 33 million guilders. She said she would be asking the executive council to provide the island council with the collection policy.
While island councilman Roy Marlin said, the government is looking to place additional burden on the people of St. Maarten. He said he hoped that government would not force the small businesses on the island to close down. Marlin said while the commissioner of finance is focusing on collecting back taxes he should also make sure the business on St. Maarten remains here. As for the SLA's Marlin said, he is calling on the Minister of telecommunication Patrick Illidge to bring back the over qualified that the Democratic Party turned away and set up the necessary departments rather than signing SLAs.
