By Cdr. Bud Slabbaert The older I get, the more I start asking why, and I start questioning all the answers. Maybe it’s a remnant of the child in me. When children are getting to the age of three, they start asking questions. It heralds a sudden upsurge in their intellectual development. The very youngest will simply accept that things are the way they are, like mother milk. Past a certain age the child with a greater degree of mental maturity will want to know why. You are an adult, where do you stand? Do you estimate that you have…
Author: The Publisher
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,…
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…
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…
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…
MADAME ESTATE — During the afternoon of Easter Monday, April 22, 2019, news reaching our news desk indicated that a daring broad day robbery took place at the Cost Pro Supermarket in Madame Estate whereby all cash registers were ripped out and stolen while the supermarket was open for normal business operation. StMaartenNews.com contacted the management of the supermarket for further information on this high day robbery. According to General Manager, Peter J. GIttens, there were at least 4 robbers of which 3 were armed with guns and a getaway car (driver) on the outside. The armed robbery took place…
~ St. Maarten removed from IASA List ~ PHILIPSBURG — St. Maarten was recently removed from the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) list on which it was previously listed as a Category 2 (CAT 2) Country. St. Maarten’s removal is based on there being no current St. Maarten airline servicing any United States destination, neither has there been a codeshare agreement with any US carrier and a St. Maarten airline for 4 years. It is standard under such conditions for the International Program and Policy division of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States Department of Transportation (DOT)…
