PHILIPSBURG - Parliament passed a motion presented by independent Member of Parliament (MP) Patrick Illidge calling on Finance Minister Martin Hassink to prepare legislation to allow for "the postponement, write-off or even forgiving" of taxes owed to government by businesses and individuals from 2006 to 2010 "under certain conditions."

 

The motion passed with the positive votes of six MPs during a plenary session of Parliament on Thursday also calls on Labour Minister Cornelius de Weever to halt for a period of no less than two years the issuance of all work permits to unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled foreign workers, with the exception of company directors and managers. This halt will help to create employment for St. Maarteners.

 

The motion was supported by the votes of United People's (UP) party MPs Sylvia Meyers-Olivacce, Johan Leonard and Gracita Arrindell, Democratic Party MP Roy Marlin and independent MPs Romain Laville and Illidge. The motion was signed by UP leader MP Theo Heyliger, but he was not present for the voting, as he had left early to attend his son's school Christmas programme.

 

The passing of the motion was not without controversy.

 

National Alliance (NA) MP Louie Laveist said he was not against the motion, but it could have been discussed further with MPs by Illidge. He "smelled a rat" in the motion, but he never disclosed with what part he had a particular issue. He did note that he had no desire to put his signature on another motion that might not be taken seriously by government.

 

MP Dr. Lloyd Richardson (NA) said he was not against anything in the motion, but would refrain from supporting it as he was involved in some tax matters of his own at the moment.

 

After the deliberations were completed on the meeting's topic – dealing with the tax matters related to the former owners of the American University of the Caribbean Medical School – and the motion from Illidge was up to be voted on, NA leader MP William Marlin, who was not part of the debate although signed in for the meeting, requested to speak on the motion.

 

Marlin was granted this opportunity by President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell. Marlin said the motion "almost sounds like a Christmas joke." His reason for saying that was based on the motion calling for the Finance Minister to submit legislation to effect the tax write-offs, halting of work permits, and measures and incentives for youth employment to be in place before or together with the presentation of the draft 2014 budget to Parliament.

 

The draft 2014 budget should be sent to Parliament in the coming days and it should be handled by Parliament by the second week of next year, if not sooner.

 

Marlin also questioned how the write-offs and other incentives called for by the motion would "couple with the constraints of the budget."

 

After William Marlin completed his speech, MP Roy Marlin protested that he should not have been allowed to speak as he was not part of the debate and was not the presenter of the motion. Roy Marlin called for William Marlin's comments to be stricken from the record of the meeting.

 

William Marlin argued that any member is allowed to speak on a motion. This did not sit well with Roy Marlin, who said the Rules of Order did not allow for the scenario. "We can't invent rules."

 

However, Arrindell in her capacity of President of Parliament did not agree with Roy Marlin. She said such a scenario had been allowed in the past, thus the remarks would not be struck from the record.

 

MP Louie Laveist (NA) requested individual voting on the motion, before the NA members left the General Assembly Hall, leaving only the six MPs who later voted for the motion.

 

The voting could have been prevented or put off had the NA members asked for a roll call prior to leaving the hall. A roll call would have established that sufficient members were not present in the hall to vote. Without the roll call, the motion was carried by the six members present who supported it.

 

In motivating his vote, MP Illidge, a former NA member, said the motion had "noble intention" and decried the NA members for claiming to be for the people, but not showing this when it mattered. He said the attitude of some MPs, particularly referring to William Marlin, was the reason they had no staying power in leading government.

 

Laville, a former UP member, said the MPs who had tried to derail the motion "don't care two hoots about the people." He said the NA members who had taken part in the debate had been going to support the motion, but their leader William Marlin had prevented this. He called on the people not "to elect these jokers" back into office next year, as they were making "a mockery" of Parliament.

 

Independent MP Frans Richardson was not present to vote on the motion. He left the meeting early to attend a family engagement. Absent from the meeting were MPs Leroy de Weever (DP) and Jules James (UP).

 

Incentives and relief

The motion presented by Illidge stated that it was necessary to provide relief and incentives to local citizens to start up and maintain their businesses and investments. This was linked to the promotion of sustainable growth of the country's economy that would put an end to "the outcry of hardship of the people."

 

The motion called on the government to ratify and publish in the National Gazette (Landscourant) the policy of former Finance Minister Roland Tuitt to write off all outstanding taxes for businesses and individuals up to 2006. Current Minister of Finance Martinus "Martin" Hassink is urged to submit to Parliament as soon as possible the necessary legislation to formalise that policy.

 

The motion calls for an additional tax relief, similar to Tuitt's draft policy, for income and profit tax owed from 2006 to 2010. Legislation also is requested to give this tax write-off to businesses and individuals "under certain conditions such as investment in specific areas of the economy and society, determined beforehand by government."

 

Also called for in the motion are tax incentives for businesses and institutions aimed at and focused on decreasing youth unemployment.

 

The motion also resolves that government should introduce a simplified, straightforward and customer-friendly tax collection system. Further, the Finance Minister needs to explore the possibility of a move from direct to indirect taxes to create more disposable income for the working class.

 

As of the execution of all required legislation called for by the motion, government is to institute "a zero tolerance policy" for tax collection.

 

(The Daily Herald)