By MP Darryl York
PHILIPSBURG:--- For a long time in Sint Maarten, we've been told that tax breaks and holidays are needed to help our economy grow. But we have to ask: who really pays the price for these deals, and who actually benefits?
Reports from international groups like the IMF say the benefits for small places like ours are often unclear. What is clear is that we lose public money. That means less funding for the services we all share. At the same time, the small business owner, the local shopkeeper, and the senior on a fixed pension always pay their taxes in full. It creates an unfair situation. The people who can least afford it are carrying the load, while those with the most resources are protected.
This isn't just an idea. Our own Financial Supervisor, the CFT, has said our system is outdated. This is important because Sint Maarten is now seen as a great place to invest. We're successful. We don't need to offer discounts from a position of weakness anymore. We should use our popularity to make fair deals, not just give out exceptions.
The problem is the basic unfairness. Big promises about new jobs and helping the community often fade away, and we're left with nothing. You see a single parent paying their taxes while the street in front of their house stays full of potholes. A local business owner follows the rules, but watches their big competitor play by a different set.
That's why I've asked the Minister of Finance for clarity. We need transparency. People have a right to know what we're getting in return for these tax breaks, who is receiving them, and what the financial implications are. We need to know what exactly was promised, if those promises were kept, and, most importantly, who is really benefiting. Are these companies reinvesting back into our communities?
Every guilder we do not collect in taxes is a guilder we cannot use to fix our roads, support our schools, or improve our hospitals. We cannot have a system that helps the powerful get ahead while regular people, our small businesses and hardworking families, pay their share and get little in return. This is simply about what is fair. Building a better Sint Maarten for everyone has to start with this basic principle.
