PHILIPSBURG--The implementation of a garbage tax and an environment tax are on the income-generating agenda of One St. Maarten People Party (OSPP). These ideas are part of the party’s manifesto launched on Monday morning.
“Always Fighting to Secure Your Future” is the theme of the manifesto for the September 26 Parliamentary election.
Party leader former Island Councilman Leonard “Lenny” Priest described the manifesto as “a people manifesto” that had been formulated with “a bottom up approach.”
The party envisions a “garbage tax” of NAf. 25 for residents and NAf. 50 for businesses. The garbage tax revenue will be used to tackle the landfill.
The party also proposes the levying of an environment tax of NAf. 36 on visitors. The funds will be used to clean up Great Salt Pond.
Other income-generating measures proposed by the party are the introduction of a tourist driver’s licence and the placement of import duty on tobacco and alcohol.
The economy is a major point for OSPP. The party wants to tackle the contracting high season and chronic seasonal unemployment.
A cruise conversion programme “to entice” cruise passengers to come back to the country in the traditional off-season and the creation of a gospel music festival are ideas of the purple party.
Fostering agriculture is also on the party’s agenda. Priest said setting up an agriculture station and reserving two scholarships for agriculture studies are OSPP goals.
Getting Caribbean people back to the country as shoppers also will be pursued by the party of nine candidates.
One million guilders will be reserved in the 2017 budget for stimulating small businesses once OSPP is voted into Parliament.
All agriculture products from the country will be exempted from the five per cent turnover tax.
The party proposes no tax on old age pension and the establishment of a sports lottery to aid organisations in developing their teams and competitions.
To reduce the burden on small businesses, OSPP will work on an exemption from income tax for every small business for the first two years’ operations and a general reduction of profit tax from 33 per cent to 23 per cent.
On the employment front, OSPP visions the fostering of trained local carpenters, masons and builders and is prepared to give companies incentives to employ youngsters.
Education from kindergarten to the National Institute for Professional Advancement (NIPA) should be free for residents, Priest said. Reduced utilities fees for schools to aid and boost education are also on the party’s agenda.
Pulling more money into the pockets of the people via an increase in the monthly pension amount and the introduction of a living wage are ideas Priest shared with the press.
As proposed in the past, the party called for the landfill to be moved to Cay Bay and for the creation of a properly managed landfill. The establishment of a solar energy farm in same area where land is available to Government is a project OSPP has in its sights.
OSPP candidate Elton Jones said at the launch, “Much more can be done to make our economy more viable.” He also pointed out that the education system also needs to be addressed to lessen the country’s dependence on important labour.
The party without any seat in the present Parliament considers itself the country’s shadow government, as it has been constantly peppering past and present governments with questions of community concerns and recommendations for “workable solutions
