ST. MAARTEN/SABA—Children are vulnerable and need protection, at home, school and outside. As a community, we have to offer this protection. What are the risks that children run? How can we help them and which tools are available? And, how can we cooperate in this. The Task Force Intercountry Children’s Rights will offer tools for this during the three-day Our Children, Our Future Conference on St. Maarten and Saba which starts on Monday, May 20, with a reception. During the first two days of the conference on St. Maarten, on Tuesday May 21 and Wednesday May 22, youth care workers,…
Author: The Publisher
For the past months we have had meetings in Parliament to try to address the laws pertaining to the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) guidelines. We even had members of the Caribbean FATF come to parliament and explain these guidelines as well the urgency of living up to these guidelines. Yet many times no quorum was achieved in order to handle such important legislation which at the end of the day is unfortunate and could have major consequences for our island. To me it has always been very clear that while some of these laws are clearly being pushed by…
By Terrance Rey Crowdfunding has no legal basis here on St. Maarten. Generally, it boils down to making a donation. There is a maximum amount a private person can donate to another person for it to be considered tax-free; not be subject to income tax on the recipient’s part and for it to remain tax deductible on the donor’s part. But that is a good discussion to have with your tax adviser. Here I am going to talk about a format for Crowdfunding on St. Maarten that is completely legit according to the laws of Country Sint Maarten and that…
PHILIPSBURG – Sint Maarten made headlines in the Volkskrant on Tuesday and the news was not good. “An attractive island for tourists – and for criminal gangs that launder money,” correspondent Kees Broere reports. “The doors are open and the security guard makes a very relaxed impression. In Casino Royale, the largest gambling palace in St. Maarten, every adult visitor is welcome – from ladies in prom dress to unshaven tourists in vacation shorts. After all, only the dollar banknotes matter,” Broere wrote. He notes, correctly, that there is no registration or identification requirement to enter a casino. In the…
WILLEMSTAD – Maria Ruiz, the mother of former Prime Minister of Curacao Gerrit Schotte has initiated a Gofundme-campaign in an attempt to collect the money Schotte has to pay back to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in the wake of his conviction for bribery and money laundering. If Schotte does not pay, he will have to spend another three years in prison on top of the three years he is currently serving. The Gofundme-page created by Ruiz mentions a target of €1 million ($1,120,000 at the current rate of exchange), but the numbers are rather confusing. Schotte owes the justice system…
By Hilbert Haar Think about this a bit. The court in Philipsburg decided against sending the suspects in the Pompeii-investigation to prison because, according to local reports, “the insufficient condition of the detention facilities in St. Maarten.”
Yesterday we received an email with the headline “The coming retirement crisis will be UGLY”. According to the email, recent studies confirm that most Americans are not prepared for retirement. Depending on the assessment, the percentage of people who will not be ready to retire is between 66% and 80%. This is scary, considering what it will do to the quality of life in people’s golden years. It was argued that much of this problem comes from changing policies with corporations (that no longer give adequate pension plans or job security), as well as shifting government policies that favor wealth…
By Hilbert Haar Was it a serious collective Carnival hangover or a deliberate attempt to sabotage the government’s attempts to put legislation in place that regulates the cross-border transport of money and valuables? Fact: the parliament was scheduled to take a decision about this legislation on Tuesday afternoon. Fact: only five parliamentarians were present for this meeting. The meeting therefore could not take place, causing a delay of a decision about the long overdue legislation for God knows how long.
Public Service Announcement provided by the Central Bank of Curacao & St. Maarten. If you have renovated or purchased big-ticket items for your home, then you need to get an appraisal and adjust your insurance accordingly.
PHILIPSBURG — On Monday, April 8th, 2019, NAGICO Life Insurance N.V. and NAGICO Insurances issued a press statement wherein they announced that they had taken over the portfolio of Sagicor Life Inc. The press statement made clear that it was business as usual for the policyholders of Sagicor. Following is the integral content of the press statement: Effective 8 April 2019, NAGICO LIFE INSURANCE N.V. AND NATIONAL GENERAL INSURANCE CO. N. V. (“NAGICO INSURANCES”) assumed a portfolio of business from Sagicor Life Inc. The transition from Sagicor Life Inc. to NAGICO Insurances will be a smooth one for customers as…
