The Pearl of China project in Little Bay has sent rumor mills in overdrive. It also has people concerned about the impact of this project on our infrastructure and of course on the environment. At this moment there is not enough information for a solid judgment. It is as simple as that. There is a preparatory resolution for the development of the area and there is the announcement that there will be a 326-room hotel and 450 apartments. Who is going to build this? Will foreign workers be brought in? Will local contractors get a piece of the action? Will…
Author: The Publisher
That members of parliament at times grossly misunderstand the role they have to play in our parliamentary democracy became once more apparent from a press release issued by the united People’s party. Three MPs held what they labeled ‘preliminary talks’ with representatives of a hospital in Florida. The purpose of these talks – and the press release – is without any doubt to create confusion about the construction of the new hospital. What were these parliamentarians doing in Florida? On whose behalf were they talking with some medicine men in the US of A? Did Minister Emil Lee send this…
Campaign Jingle for Richard F. Gibson, Sr., the number 8 candidate on the National Alliance slate. Click here to listen to the jingle and watch the full video.
The Chinese are coming and they are coming in droves. Finance Minister Gibson made that announcement yesterday during a lecture at the university. Because the groundbreaking for the hotel project is on the agenda for September 17, a mere nine days before the elections, politicians will probably be quick to dismiss this as an election stunt. If it is, it’s a darn good one. We take the announcement of the finance minister at face value. After all, this could be exactly what the doctor ordered for our sluggish economy. Bringing one million Chinese tourists to the island will present its…
Chinese promise 1 million tourists; build large hotel and apartment project GREAT BAY – One million Chinese tourists every year, the construction of a 326-room hotel and showroom and 450 apartment suites in Belair at the location of the former Barbaron project will change the landscape of St. Maarten’s economy forever. On September 17, a 30-strong delegation from China will come to St. Maarten for the groundbreaking ceremony for the Belair project. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have struck the jackpot,” Finance Minister Richard Gibson said yesterday at a town hall lecture he hosted at the university of St. Maarten where…
GREAT BAY — “Tax reform without reforming the tax department is counterproductive,” Finance Minister Richard Gibson said in a meeting of the finance committee of parliament yesterday afternoon. “These two go hand in hand. Reforming the law with a tax department that is unable to carry out the reform is not going to give us what we are looking for.” The minister said that parliament has already adopted the framework for tax reform and that the legislation to bring the reform about is pending. “Tax reform is an expensive exercise. It has to be done carefully and cautiously in terms…
Celebration Time: Budget meets deadline for the first time GREAT BAY — “Today is a day for celebration;” Finance Minister Richard Gibson said at yesterday’s Council of Ministers press briefing. The reason: “For the first time in history St. Maarten has presented a balanced budget according to the stipulation in the law.” The budget was presented in the Council of Ministers on Tuesday and approved. “This deserves a big round of applause,” the minister said. “It shows that St. Maarten is on the right path and that it is prepared and can do the right thing.” Minister Gibson commended his…
Finance Minister Gibson came out with a clear statement yesterday about flat rate and indirect taxes. That’s a big non-no, he said, and it won’t happen on my watch, because that approach only benefits the rich. It is good to take note of this statement, because several political parties have made tax proposals part of their manifesto and they present these plans without explaining what their effect on the people will be. On the other hand, given the fact that tax reform is a process for the long haul, similar to constitutional reform, voters should not be too concerned that…
All over the internet you come across the same statement: “In 1939 St. Maarten was declared a duty-free port”. Literally, every wiki site and encyclopedic source online about the history of St. Maarten contains this one line: “In 1939 St. Maarten was declared a duty-free port”. But no clarification is given nor any further background information provided on this historical sentence. Declared a duty-free port by whom? King Willem of Orange-Nassau? Where is the royal decree to that effect? What does this duty-free status mean in practice? Are there really no import duties on St. Maarten? Are there no taxes…
St. Maarten—The St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association recognized Dennis Richardson and Richard Gibson sr. for their outstanding contribution and commitment in achieving the new constitutional change for St. Maarten and awarded them with the Persons of the Year Award. The awards were presented during the fifth annual Crystal Pineapple Awards ceremony at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort and Casino on Friday evening.
