St. Martin News Network

Sounds like a great step ahead!!!

Mi son , is SXM finally entering the 21st century.... Now let see it happen !

great news indeed the only problem is, how will the police know who have paid their road tax while doing controls if you don't have at least a sticker?

But please find a way that persons can keep their number if they so wish to . In my case i have had the same number since 1978 so its like a cultural thing to many of us so plea**ssseee minister please find a way.

rico please see Doc. Sr comment above.

Let's c how soon this will happen. I know that the previous gov looked into the plate issue and was advised not to because of control purposes by the police, just as dragon pointed out. Hence, no control, less revenue and more scamming, fake stickers etc. Idiots

@ all talk..................laziness have no place in modernizing. Even our little neigbor Anguilla don't buy number plates every year as the same plate remains on the vehicle.

Here's an easy way to deal with this issue. The Inspection Dept has a computer system with all vehicle plate numbers, VIN numbers, etc. of vehicle so each time you go to inspect they pull up that vehicle information from their database. Use this database as the backbone of a vehicle system. Also use some of the money wasted on producing plates each year to build a network, install terminals in police patrol vehicles and give the cops the ability to run plates through the terminal. System will also be tied into the Receiver's database so payments of road tax will be updated. Controls should be done on a consistent basis and not just a few times each year. So cops stop you, run your plate and if you haven't paid then the vehicle gets impounded until all payments and fines are made. This way you don't even need stickers. Just keep your proof of payment in vehicle.

For owners of vehicles who don't want to give up their plates for whatever reasons whenever they have to change vehicles, simple solution. Treat these as vanity plates and have them pay each year for "owning" these plates plus road tax. Good starting point could be $100.00 per year for these plates. We could also supply normal vanity plates for a few as well.

This way we could drastically reduce the lines at the Receiver's Office as tax payers paying online could provide an email address to which their receipt could be sent.

This is 2012. Time for government and people to stop acting as if it's 1912.

One more thing. Issue stickers at Inspection Department that can be scanned by hand held scanners if you are stopped at a check point. Less time for the cops to check if your payments are updated and more time for you to go about your business and do things you want to do.

Well said @simple solution

every other Island does it, why can't we.. dutch sxm has to be the only dot that changes number plates every year *sigh*

@ simple solution: I do agree and know all about what you r depicting. However, its not as simple as it seems here with all the buracracy. I must mentioned that that approach is more costly the the current system. Also, what u r suggesting is a collaboration between the justice and finance ministries. I can gurantee u that's not what tuitt is talking about cause he aint had no consultation with duncan on such. Moreover, to implement such will take atleast 3 years and u need the cooperation of the inspection dept to share their database since the receivers database is not effective.

The gendarmes stop your car and you had better have your card gris. and your a**urance..or you in some deep doo doo.

we dont need to reinvent the wheel, call the fendarmes and figure out what they are doing and then do it...we have many examples to choose from. St. Maarten Tuit is on the ball.

simple solution will not work, if you have to stop a vehicle to know if road tax is paid you are wasting time. there must be a better way to tell if it is paid without stopping that vehicle. most country just use the sticker.

he on the ball my foot, the french side can't even collect there car tax because no one pays. and it is hard to control. so the only thing he on the ball with is sending the budge for 2013 thru the door, because we will not have the money to balance it. when we had the stickers it was also a problem. you have a lot of people don't even pay the fines when they get them they going to pay tax when it is hard to check if you don't (hahaha) that is to funny

@ chill out, take one word out of the book from wow, dragon and myself as I mentioned before "control" in sxm.

NO "CONTROL" in sxm to execute a task such as this with no database in place.

This mean No more insurance, inspection nor tax yippee I love this government. Control? Hahahahaha rotfl! Lord don't leave somebody without insurance hit my car.

Well said simple solutions but just remember SXM still is NAF and not US so make that $100 somthing like NAF100 like BBBBuuurrrrr

To have an open mind seems to be a difficult thing. Most comments seem to only seek excuses why this matter should not be pursued and looked into. at some point someone has to look at the possibility of changing this out dated system. And yes it might take some time, but at least its being worked on. The old system of previous politicians who may have looked for a quick fix, and then concluded that its not possible, must change. It's time that we get some real people in office who is willing to do what it takes to make it happen. And if it mean that we have to pay a little more, then so be it. The start up cost might be a little more, but in the long run when everything is up and running it can be beneficial for us. Strange how we don't mind spending millions on things that we don't really need (like a causeway), but when it comes to things we can benefit from it becomes a major issue. Let us focus on how this idea can be executed effectively and securing everyone's rights rather than looking for way to kill the thought just because our favorite party/person didn't come with the proposal.