Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, the Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Christophe Emmanuel no doubt meant well when he said in Wednesday’s press briefing that he will be knocking on the door of affluent businesses for much-needed inspection vehicles to tackle sewage issues (see related story). However, judging from reactions – for example, on this newspaper’s Facebook page – not everyone agrees.
A reader said businesses are already being taxed to death, while another called it an open house to bribery and corruption. It was suggested as well that if politicians made the minimum wage this would not sound as ridiculous and that it’s too early for April Fools’ jokes.
The main issue with the idea is that people, including entrepreneurs, already pay considerable taxes, including for their motor vehicles, with the proceeds supposedly to be used on road maintenance. While it’s true that good corporate citizenship entails a collective responsibility, acting as though there’s some sort of moral obligation to give Government more than legally required is incorrect.
It must also be taken into account that fiscal compliance in St. Maarten is relatively low. The argument is therefore that everyone should be made to pay their fair share before adding to the burden of companies that do abide by the rules.
Finally, determining whether a business is “affluent” could prove less easy than the Minister might think. Profit tax figures of the former year could be used as guide, but this says nothing about the current situation and again favours those who falsely claim a break-even result or losses to evade such.
In general, when it comes to extra contributions asking is one thing, demanding quite another.
