Dear Editor,
As a business owner for the past 25 years and as an accountant and tax consultant it has been an uphill battle for businesses to thrive in such a hostile economy as country St. Maarten. The system more and more is targeted to strip our people through all means from their resources that give them the opportunity of a better living. Besides having to deal with the envy, jealousy of your own kind, the business community has to undergo the unfair practices of the system itself.
Bad politics has infiltrated on all levels in this country. Besides resentful people being placed in cardinal positions, you have spiteful people executing political agendas and others that sent their pit-bull agents to quote partial laws suitable to execute their wicked schemes.
Remember, even the head of a snake can be chopped off. People, be reminded that what is done to others today will be done unto to you in return even when you ask for forgiveness after the fact.
How is it possible that prior government and this one can’t provide a tax break to our small and local businesses? We from the US Party have a list of the businesses that we have noticed that execute bad practices and contribute to the high tax non-compliance in this country that is not being harassed, rather some institutions want to target and try to intimidate individuals through false power play, through the notion of fear instilment. To all of you who do this to people under the disguise “I am just doing my job”, when the time reaches that karma is at work remember those words, because the universe will be at work!
Being a silent contributor is being an accomplice. I think it’s high time that our small and local businesses experience some sort of tax break as well and that a more suitable tax environment is created for the overall business community.
With our plan the non-compliance rate of 45% will drop with 17% the first 2 years, a decrease of 22.1% in 5 years. And depending on how we tackle the immigration and price control we can possibly achieve a tax compliance of 65% in the first 3 years. Some rigid steps have to be taken, but all to the benefit of a healthy economy.
If we don’t stop exercising this crazy pressure on the business community especially our small businesses we as a country will be in much deeper problem. We will create:
* more illegal business practices,
* increase in unemployment,
* more hiring of illegals,
* unfair employment treatment,
* increase in social deterioration,
* increase in children sexual abuse as a means of income generating; and
* last but not least, increase in violence.
The US Party has a broad section within its 498-page country plan for our business community from small to large businesses. This plan also entails innovative and practical approaches for new branches within the economy cycle that will develop from the plan to be executed by the US Party.
Pamela Gordon Carty
Leader of the United St. Maarten Party (US Party)
