Timeshare barkers
By Hilbert Haar The timeshare-industry is important for St. Maarten because timeshare owners spend a lot of time on the island and – more importantly – they are spending a lot of money here. These people love our island, otherwise they would not come to our shores year after year and – in many cases – decade after decade. LOGIN TO READ MORE... More...
A lot of hogwash
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Are informateurs disruptive?
By Hilbert Haar Informateurs disrupt the political process. That’s the opinion of well-respected political analyst Julio Romney (see article: Political analyst Romney: “Informateurs disrupt political process"). More...
A hot potato
By Hilbert Haar So what to think of the situation Member of Parliament Frans Richardson finds himself in? The initial reactions from primary sources have been, to put it politely, from noncommittal to nonresponsive. That More...
Equal crime, equal punishment
By Hilbert Haar Everyone in Sint Maarten shall be treated equally in equivalent circumstances. Discrimination on grounds of religion, belief, political persuasion, race, colour of skin, sex, language, national or More...
Stealing made easy
By Hilbert Haar The Emerald-trial is formally about companies that did not file returns for income and turnover taxes by not reporting income they received from the Harbor Group of Companies to the tax office. Altogether, More...
Irresistible temptation
By Hilbert Haar St. Maarten is not the only little island in deep financial trouble; Aruba has so much headaches over its national budget that the government in Oranjestad will introduce a crisis tax of 2.5 percent More...
Stricter screening …. in the Netherlands
By Hilbert Haar The municipal elections in the Netherlands that take place on Wednesday have brought the issue of integrity in local governments sharply into focus. Reading through reports in Dutch newspapers it More...
The real chess master
By Hilbert Haar While the formation of a new government is a work in progress the results of the February 26 elections are still interesting enough for further analysis. What changed compared to 2016, the year when More...
Post-Irma financial predicament
By Hilbert Haar The St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association has put its finger on a very sore spot with its analysis of the country’s post-Irma financial predicament. That we are – financially speaking More...
