MARIGOT--Senator Louis-Constant Fleming has sought to dispel what he contends are misconceptions that some commentators have been disseminating in print and via broadcast media about the budget, taxes, and fiscal matters in general.
He started off by countering a statement made on a radio programme that the turn-over tax TGCA will only bring in 500,000 euros.
"The two per cent turn-over tax is supposed to yield 16 million euros," insisted Fleming. "Total sales in St. Martin in 2008 for example, declared by companies paying taxes, were 800 million euros. That was on what was declared, and you still have the factor of what was not declared," he added.
He cautioned that such scare-mongering stoked by the opposition or other persons created a divided population, a situation that can be sensed by State functionaries who constantly "gauge the temperature," and any "take-over" by the State was something he wished to prevent at all costs.
He stressed that where fiscal matters are concerned State functionaries are service providers for the Collectivité, under the jurisdiction of the Collectivité, and do not have the role they had prior to 2007.
"They are here to execute decisions of the Collectivité, not tell the Collectivité what to do," he explained.
Fleming added that the Collectivité only got its full competence for fiscal affairs on January 25 and the administration is still in a relatively fledgling state after three years.
"An organic law had to be voted on and I was the one that got it passed, but I don't hear anyone talk about that. I'm not worried about the future of St. Martin because I know that everything is being put in place. Maybe it is not going as fast as people would like, but that's because we have been spoiled in the past. Laws have not been implemented or respected in the last 60 years. People didn't pay taxes, and the State did nothing to collect taxes."
"Today, instead of the State giving us 30 million euros to run the Collectivité, we have to collect our own taxes. People have to realise you can't live in a community without paying taxes. That's why we have a Collectivité because we wanted rules and regulations adapted for us. If it works on the Dutch side paying turn-over tax, car tax, why is it a problem on this side? Unfortunately, there are people who only live and operate from day to day without looking ahead," Fleming said.
Discussing criticism of the annulled Impot Sur le Fortune (ISF), or wealth tax, he said the whole point was to save the local man in French Quarter, or wherever, who has a property worth more 770,000 euros from selling his home, or risk having it seized, because he couldn't pay the tax. He said the so-called wealth tax was not annulled for his (Fleming's) benefit.
Fleming admitted there have been hurdles to get over and other problems had arisen that were unforeseen in 2003, but he contended that, in general, he saw a bright future ahead.
"We know 2010 is going to be a tight year but, after 2011, the Collectivité is not going to have a problem where means are concerned. The results of an audit done on the finances of the Collectivité last year showed that we did not overspend, or undertake anything we couldn't handle. To the contrary, it criticised the State functionaries for not doing their jobs properly."
He said the mushrooming of businesses springing up in the Hope Estate Industrial Zone and companies from Guadeloupe wanting to set up businesses here proved the situation is not as bad as people make it out to be.
"With profit tax at 22.22 per cent, a lot of people are going to want to come here. After the tax policy has been put in place, banks and financial institutions, next year, are going to create affiliations here which will be on-shore companies, and with it jobs."
He continued: "The next step is to get the tax treaty (to avoid double taxation) with France signed and the other treaty is the information exchange treaty where the Collectivité agrees to exchange information with fiscal services. Every signed treaty with France has to be confirmed by organic law so I have two laws lined up for 2010. Then there is significant revenue coming in from the Competence de Source, when all the banks and big companies like Orange, France Telecom, etc. pay their taxes here."
When asked whether he thought some of the severe cuts to subventions in the 2010 budget were justified, he said: "The Commune in its time had guaranteed funds to dish out. The Commune used to distribute more than 10 per cent of its budget to associations but we are no longer a Commune and no longer have those luxuries. No, I don't agree with handing out unlimited money. People, associations, or whoever must become more responsible and independent."
"We have three sports stadiums for example on the French side and all are, or were, in a state of neglect and disrepair, because they have not been maintained or managed properly. You see lights left on all night, and so forth," he said.
Pressed on whether he did not think reducing subventions to youth associations would only exacerbate youth delinquency rather than help solve it, Fleming said: "Spending money is not going to solve the delinquency problem. The problem is that you have youth whose parents are not working and not instilling family values and morals into their children. If parents are not working and giving a good example, they can't tell their children how to behave. This is what causes delinquency, and it's the same in France. Kids end up in gangs because they have no occupation, goals, or ambitions, because their parents have no ambition."
