SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) – Members of Parliament (MP’s) of the United St. Maarten Party (USP) Akeem Arrindell and Claudius “Toontje” Buncamper and their support staff met with the Audit Team Sint Maarten (ATS) on Tuesday, February 24, 2020 to gather some more information of the works the ATS is presently carrying out and is capable of carrying out, the USP parliamentary faction said in a media statement on Thursday.
During the meeting a presentation was given on the purpose, the functions and the intentions of the Audit Team Sint Maarten, which was established on the Island by the Social & Health Insurances (SZV) in January 2016 with the aim of replacing the SBAB (Stichting Belasting Accountant Bureau) in order to save on travel and accommodation costs and to attract and retain St. Maarten-born experts in the interest of continuity.
The main objective of the ATS is to increase compliance and to promote regular payment of the social security premiums, ensuring in this way that all companies pay their fair share of taxes in accordance with the Social Security Ordinances.
ATS collaborates with various public and private entities, bringing them up to date with the social laws, and in complete compliance with their social premium payments. ATS’s task is to control the social premiums by way of checking the businesses on behalf of SZV.
ATS employs only St Maarteners. In the event of a shortage of expertise, suitable applicants are sent abroad to acquire the necessary education in the required fields. ATS strives to become a full fledge Sint Maarten agency, not subsidized or dependent on technical assistance from the Netherlands or Curacao. Their goal is to heighten awareness in complying with all the stipulations of the Social Security Ordinances and to offer all companies support with administrative overviews of the different premium payments and with correct and complete registration of companies.
During the presentation ATS explained their duties and their limitations as to the functions they are authorized to execute and which they are not authorized to execute. ATS focuses on combating and alleviating tax evasions and other fraud. The opportunity to work together with the Tax inspectorate will be a big step forward in the prevention of tax fraud. It is ATS’s desire to be part of the governments entities, such as the tax office, the Public Prosecutors office and the various permits departments, to ensure that everyone pays their proper share of taxes.
To accomplish the latter stated above, the present tax laws need to be adjusted/amended accordingly facilitate this matter.
Seeing the need for such services and the financial benefits for the country, MP Akeem Arrindell and MP Claudius Buncamper have agreed to have the ATS presentation presented to all members of parliament, and then start the necessary law initiative to have this minor adjustment made, which will yield significant financial results for the country and its residents.
