Philipsburg:--- Residents of St. Maarten and businesses might soon find themselves paying 7% in Turn over Taxes (TOT) instead of the 5% they are currently paying. SMN News received information from several persons working within the Government apparatus that indicates that Minister of Finance Roland Tuitt is considering the increase of TOT by 2% to remove the deficit in the 2013 budget.
Last week Wednesday during the Council of Ministers press briefing, the Minister of Finance announced that St. Maarten is facing a real predicament with its budget due to old bills. SMN News reporter asked Minister Tuitt if he was considering increasing the TOT and he responded by saying that it seems as if the reporter was there looking for news.
This Wednesday Minister Tuitt did not show up at the weekly press briefing because he is off island. SMN News asked Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams if she is aware of the situation where TOT might be increased, Wescot Williams said that the Council of Ministers approved a balanced budget for the year 2013. She said in that draft budget which was submitted to the CFT there is no increase in the TOT. Wescot Williams further explained that even if the government of St. Maarten wants to increase TOT they would need to have a decree in place for such but to date no such decree has been prepared. When SMN News asked Wescot Williams what are government's plans to deal with the 2013 budget and the issues they are now facing, the Prime Minister insisted that government presented a balanced draft budget to the CFT and there are some things that they have to deal with. She said for example the things that are not in the budget cannot be financed. Wescot Williams said that these issues brought the 2013 budget into an imbalanced position and government now has to discuss the budget again and some decisions would have to be taken.
