PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) Member of Parliament William Marlin during the Central Committee meeting of Parliament on Wednesday said Parliament cannot simply accept that government-owned companies will be paying concessions without knowing how these same companies are performing financially.

Marlin was responding to Minister of Finance Hiro Shigemoto's statements on the 2012 budget regarding concession fees. The veteran MP said while the Minister outlined that the airport, harbour and GEBE are expected to pay concessions of around NAf. 5 million this year, the Minister did not provide the annual accounts of the companies.

"If we are to believe what's in the Minister's presentation," Marlin said, "then the annual accounts should be presented." "We would like to know why these have not been presented to government. Parliament needs the audited financials from these companies to also determine how the people's patrimony is being spent," Marlin said.

It was not sufficient, he added, for Parliament to just go along with indications of NAf. 5 million concession fees to be paid by companies that are operating with annual profits reportedly in excess of NAf. 15 million or more.