PHILIPSBURG:--- Referencing Wednesday’s parliamentary meeting on the draft law amending the General National Ordinance on Taxes, Member of Parliament Wescot-Williams reiterated the position she recently communicated to the Minister of Finance.
In a letter to the Minister, the MP welcomed the government’s initial work on tax reform while cautioning that meaningful reform cannot succeed if it is built on an already broken foundation.
In the letter, the MP acknowledged the technical efforts of the Ministry of Finance and the civil service, but stressed that introducing new tax policies on top of existing structural weaknesses will not deliver lasting results.
“We cannot simply build anew on a broken foundation,” the MP stated in her recent letter. “If we want a fair and effective tax system, we must first clean house—address existing inefficiencies, outdated practices, and gaps in compliance—before layering on new rules and expectations.”
The MP emphasized that true tax reform must go beyond internal technical exercises and actively involve the business community, civil society, and independent financial and economic experts. According to the MP, these perspectives are critical to identifying what is not working in the current system and to restoring public confidence.
While recognizing the importance of safeguarding government revenues, the MP cautioned against an approach that prioritizes revenue neutrality at the expense of fairness, simplicity, and economic growth. She argued that tax reform must be grounded in Sint Maarten’s current realities, including a large informal economy, limited administrative capacity, and widespread distrust between taxpayers and the tax authority.
The MP reiterated her previous call for a national “get-your-CRIB-number” campaign, encouraging individuals and businesses to register within the tax system through low thresholds, simplified procedures, and taxpayer education. She noted that expanding the tax base requires trust-building measures and a clear signal that government is prepared to reset the system fairly.
In this context, the MP urged the government to consider “clean house” measures as a first phase of reform, including compliance amnesties, data cleanup, modernization of registries, and the removal of obsolete or contradictory tax provisions. Such steps, she stated, would create a stable foundation upon which sustainable reform can be built.
The MP also outlined a broader policy vision for the reform process, including:
- Evidence-based and transparent policymaking, supported by public data and economic impact assessments;
- Inclusive stakeholder engagement through structured consultations and advisory bodies;
- Simplification and digitalization of tax administration, with targeted support for small and medium-sized enterprises; and
- Phased implementation with independent monitoring, clear performance indicators, and regular public reporting.
“Tax reform must inspire confidence,” the MP concluded. “Cleaning house first is not about lowering standards; it is about creating a system that people believe in, understand, and are willing to comply with.”
During Wednesday’s parliamentary meeting on the draft law amending the General National Ordinance on Taxes, the MP also floated the idea of a Tax Compliance Pact with the people of Sint Maarten as a means of rebuilding the relationship between government and taxpayers. She noted that such a pact would strengthen the incremental efforts already being undertaken by the Minister in the area of tax collection.
“We have to do this together. In fact, every lasting endeavor of the government hinges on collaboration with all social partners.”
The MP expressed her readiness to engage constructively with the Minister of Finance and all stakeholders to help deliver a fair, credible, and effective tax system for the people of Sint Maarten.
