PHILIPSBURG:--- VSA Minister Claret Connor has expressed willingness to examine a possible tax on alcohol, tobacco and sugary drinks, but stopped short of announcing a government proposal or committing potential revenue to healthcare.
The issue was raised during Wednesday’s Council of Ministers press briefing, when Connor was asked whether such a tax could help finance the health sector.
Connor said taxation falls primarily under the Ministry of Finance and the tax authorities.
He acknowledged that he had not attended the parliamentary sitting referenced in the question and was unfamiliar with the specific discussion that took place.
However, he said he could review the matter and determine whether it requires the involvement of VSA, TEATT and Finance.
“The topic of sin tax, I know, has been a topic that has been discussed on St. Martin for many, many years,” Connor said.
He added that the measure had been raised as an alternative to other economic measures and said he could speak with parliamentarians about their priorities.
He indicated those discussions could compare a sin tax with other options for increasing public revenue.
No proposed tax rate, implementation date, revenue estimate or mechanism for allocating proceeds was presented.
Connor also did not announce that government had agreed to pursue the measure.
His response leaves the issue at the discussion stage, with its purpose still undefined: whether it would primarily raise general revenue, support healthcare expenditure, influence consumption, or combine those objectives.
For now, the minister’s position is that the proposal warrants examination through discussions involving Parliament and the ministries concerned.