Dear Editor
The public entities Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba, have reached parity with the Netherlands where it concerns sharing the cost of running and developing these three islands. What this means is that the islands and Holland are sharing the cost (almost) equally.
The facts, according to the Annual Accounts of the Dutch Ministry of Finance, show that in 2016 the total expenditure on the three islands was 298 million euros; of this amount 146 million euros was raised on the islands through taxes by the Dutch tax regime. That is a 51 to 49 per cent division for Holland and the islands respectively.
This information is very important in light of Statia’s expressed desire for a more autonomous position in the kingdom and being able to do more decision-making locally.
It is also important to counter the continued disinformation and misinformation being spread by opponents of more autonomy who have no limits spreading lies and false information to confuse the people of Statia shamelessly.
As I have written in the past, I regularly listen to the weekly radio programme of the Statia Democratic Party (DP) aired on Friday’s and hosted by the DP leader and Island Council member Adelka Spanner, Island Council member Koos Sneek, and party candidate and advisor Ernie Simmons. These folks leave no stone unturned in trying to convince the public in Statia that we as an island cannot handle autonomy because of the high cost and our inability and limitations. The worst part is they resort to outright lies in trying to convince the public and make their point.
Time and again I hear these folks say that Holland is spending three to four times our tax revenues on top of those taxes that we pay. That would mean that Holland spends as much as five times our tax revenues on these islands, which would be five times 146 million equals 730 million euros per year. Compare that with the actual spending of 298 million in 2016.
It is therefore clear that these folks are peddling false and misleading information on a weekly basis in their programme. And despite my earlier stories on this behaviour they continue to find new topics with which to mislead their listeners. The desperation drips off by the bucket loads.
The constitutional future of a people is a serious matter and the least the people must expect from their leaders and politicians, media, and others in the public eye, is that they provide factual and accurate information that serves to educate our people and not to mislead as we ponder decisions of such magnitude. In this respect the DP radio programme fails miserably, but wilfully, since they have been put in the spotlight on this already.
Numbers will change from year to year and if the Dutch Government would release tax information for each island we would know exactly where Statia stands in this. What is also clear is that in the first years of this new status much had to be invested in upgrades and innovations, and working away backlogs in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and other areas. As these investments are completed and austerity measures are implemented over time, the spending of the Dutch Government will decline.
Due to population growth and economic growth, tax revenues can be expected to increase over time, and as a result the portion of expenditures covered by the islands can be expected to increase. I predict it will not be long before we will move from parity to dominance, meaning the islands completely covering their full cost. We see it happening now in the now autonomous countries Aruba, Curaçao, and St. Maarten, so why not in our islands as well, with proper financial management and smart economic development.
There is hope for Statia, and we Statia people must keep the faith. Nothing comes easy in life but the harder and longer the struggle, the sweeter will be the victory; so press on toward more autonomy, in Jesus name.
Glenn Schmidt
Statia
