POND ISLAND--Government has collected almost NAf. 7 million from 63 per cent of vehicle owners who have opted to pay their annual road tax already in spite of government’s three-month grace period that ends on June 30.
By the time the grace period was announced as a way to ease the burden on the Hurricane Irma-recovering population, a significant number of people had already paid the tax ahead of the annual February deadline. Others continued to pay even after the grace period announcement.
Giving the tax figure, Finance Minister Mike Ferrier said, “St. Maarten is coming back. People are spending money and they want to be in accordance with the law, so we love ’em.”
Although called a “road tax,” the monies collected annually for each vehicle registered on the Dutch side of the island for new licence plates and tax go into the general coffers of government. It does not go into a specific road fund to better the country’s deteriorating and hurricane-impacted road network.
A total of 35,508 sets of 2018 vehicle number plates were ordered by government. This represents 5,480 pairs more than the 30,028 that had been ordered for 2017. Also ordered were 1,000 plates for motorbikes, the same quantity that had been ordered for 2017.
The price for the number plate is NAf. 12.50 for all types of vehicles and NAf. 7.50 for motorbikes.
Motorists with number plates M, P, SXM, MR (ministers) and PAR (parliament) will be expected to pay NAf. 275 in motor vehicle tax for gasoline-operated vehicles and NAf. 750 for diesel-fuel-operated ones.
Motorists with R plates will pay NAf. 300 for gasoline-operated vehicles and NAf. 750 for diesel-fuel-operated vehicles.
Taxis, BUS, G (group) and T (tour buses with 35 passengers or less) pay NAf. 275 for gasoline-operated vehicles and NAf. 550 for diesel fuel-operated vehicles.
Vehicles with V and Z plates that weigh more than 3,500kg will pay NAf. 1,250 for gasoline or diesel-fuel-operated vehicles. Vehicles with V plates that weigh less than 3,500kg will pay NAf. 275 for gasoline-operated vehicles and NAf. 750 for diesel fuel-operated vehicles.
Persons with MF (motorbike) plates will pay NAf. 200 and those with MF (mopeds) will pay NAf. 50 in motor vehicle tax.
The grace period instituted by government for the inspection of vehicles also expires on June 30.
