SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) – Prudential Tax Services (PTS), the leading authority in accounting, auditing, and forensic financial defense in the Dutch Caribbean, has launched a powerful strategic alliance with Resolution Management, led by Business Management Expert Mrs. Saskia Farquharson. This collaboration introduces a bulletproof, dual-layered defense mechanism for regional enterprises: combining PTS’s elite forensic auditing with Resolution Management’s operational engineering to insulate local businesses from aggressive, inaccurate, or inflated tax assessments. “Our mission has always been to ‘de-risk’ our clients’ financial survival,” stated the PTS leadership team. “By integrating Mrs. Farquharson’s structural management frameworks, we are moving beyond reactive tax defense.…
Author: The Publisher
By Hilbert Haar Concerned citizen Shandrika Peterson did what utilities company NV GEBE should have done a long time ago: she asked clients to participate in an online survey and express their concerns about the price and the availability of electricity in St. Maarten. In itself, this is of course a commendable initiative. See related article here: https://stmaartennews.com/social/online-survey-returns-predictable-results-about-concerns-regarding-nv-gebe/ But citizens who thought that this public community report would also contain solutions for their concerns must now be sorely disappointed because the report does not contain solutions. Not one. The logical question is then obviously: are there solutions? One of the options…
PHILIPSBURG –- Shandrika Peterson, a concerned citizen has done what utilities company NV GEBE should have done a long time ago: she did an online survey that resulted in a public community report about electricity supply on St. Maarten. A total of 201 citizens participated. The report contains pie charts and percentages and the results are not surprising because they reflect perfectly the concerns citizens have been expressed over the years. Consumers are concerned about the price of electricity, about the reliability of the distribution system and billing issues. Though the report emphasizes that the results of the survey should…
For many business owners in the Dutch Caribbean, losing a final tax case can feel like reaching a financial breaking point. Once objections, appeals, and court procedures are exhausted, the Tax Office may proceed with enforcement measures such as bank liens, account freezes, asset seizures, and public auctions. Within a short period, a functioning business can face operational paralysis. At this critical stage, many traditional advisors step away. Accountants often focus primarily on compliance and reporting, while litigation attorneys may conclude their involvement once court proceedings have ended. Business owners are frequently left facing severe financial pressure with few structured recovery…
MP York has written to the Minister of Finance outlining a series of operational and administrative concerns at the Tax Department that have been building since mid-2025 and now risk serious consequences for both staff and the taxpaying public. From a prolonged leadership vacuum to data errors affecting individual tax assessments, the picture that emerges is one of a department under significant strain. It is worth noting that challenges within the Tax Department did not emerge overnight. However the situation appears to have deepened considerably since mid-2025, suggesting that what may have once been manageable has since crossed into territory…
Dear Editor, The garbage situation on Sint Maarten has been a serious concern for some time, and in recent weeks it has become harder to ignore. Piles have been building up in Cole Bay and other neighborhoods, contractual disputes between government and the local waste haulers have moved into public view, and the landfill itself has been described in recent reporting as being in a precarious state. I want to read this alongside another story currently in the international news, because the two echo. Over the past few days, media and health authorities have been covering a cluster of Andes…
PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — On the occasion of Lupus Awareness Day, the UPP is paying tribute to the many Lupus warriors across Sint Maarten who continue to face one of life’s toughest battles with strength, dignity, and determination. While Lupus is often described as an invisible illness, the fight faced by those living with the disease is very real. Behind every diagnosis is a person pushing through pain, exhaustion, uncertainty, and emotional hardship while still showing up for their families, careers, and communities. “Today is not only about awareness. It is about recognizing fighters,” the UPP stated. “There are people…
Construction has begun on the Philipsburg Marketplace without a valid building permit, and while the sound of machinery may feel like progress, MP Darryl York says what is actually happening on that site is illegal. In the most recent public Parliamentary meeting, the Minister of TEATT confirmed on record that a permit had not yet been granted and that construction would begin once it was. That permit still has not been issued. The equipment is moving anyway. And if you are one of the 400-plus families who has been waiting years for your own building permit, watching your loan get…
PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – Member of Parliament Egbert J. Doran is calling for the fair and immediate resolution of the ongoing payment dispute involving Fleming Waste Solutions, stating that while Government should always work toward stronger administrative structures and formalized contracts, contractors who carry out essential services for the country should not remain unpaid after work has already been executed, verified, and accepted. Doran said the recent public discussion surrounding the matter requires additional context, particularly as attention now appears to be shifting toward assigning blame instead of resolving the issue responsibly. “Let us be realistic about how Government operations…
PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Member of Parliament Francisco A. Lacroes has formallyrequested Government to provide a comprehensive assessment of Sint Maarten’s pension system,raising growing concerns about whether many pensioners are still able to meet the basic cost ofliving after retirement.In a letter submitted to the Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, MPLacroes requested detailed financial, actuarial, demographic, and legal information related toboth the pension structure administered through Social & Health Insurances SZV and thecontributory pension system managed by Algemeen Pensioenfonds Sint Maarten.According to MP Lacroes, the request is not about attacking the current system, but abouthonestly assessing and…
