WILLEMSTAD.- Starting 2019 it is will not be possible to accumulate tax debts anymore. With regard to arrears debts it is possible to reach an agreement and there are even cases where a collection can be obtained, in which a very large payment can be achieved. But it will not allow more tax debts accumulated in this coming 2019. That is the point of view of Finance Minister Kenneth Gijsbertha.
In this past year, it was difficult to collect what you have on the street. On different occasions it was explained that the aggressive payment would mean that more people would lose their jobs, since a large part of the companies are not in control or position to pay. Some of them, used the funds that belong to the Government for their own operations. On the other hand, the Government must get its money to fulfill the services within the community. It is estimated that there are more than 800 million guilders on the streets.
Minister Gijsbertha explained that with regard to the 2018 budget, the earnings stayed behind, at around 42 million guilders. This is why perhaps the budget could not balance at the end of the year: “But if our people fulfill part of what is theirs, we will not have any problem.” Imagine that we collected part of what is on the street and obtained 100 million of guilders, the Government would have a budget with a surplus, which would allow the Government of Curaçao to do more for the Community, says the minister.
The minister also said that in 2019 we all must comply fully with our taxes. For example, if a person collected OB, the money belongs to the Government. It will not be allowed to retain this amount anymore. In this framework, we are currently thinking about changing the OB system and bringing a new approach. One possibility would be a combination of ABB (as it was before) and OB. In the past we had the ABB that imposed taxes on the entry of the product in Curaçao. The part of the OB should be one level only and there were no different links as currently. The process should be simplified so that the impact on the product / service is cheaper for the customer, according to the minister.
Regarding the OZB Law on which there is such a claim, Minister Gijsbertha said that the 2014 and 2018 collections should be paid immediately. Those of 2015, 2016 and 2017 will remain pending to be charged soon. One of the things that should be done is to give more information on this topic: “As a Minister I’m also interested in how the process is going, I know that the Inspectorate looked for appraisal agencies to help in the process. I’m very interested to know how the process resulted in practice. ”
Finally, the minister said that the tax system should be completely strengthened, among others by seeking more human resources. “I hope that everyone understands that the situation is difficult, but there are good prospects for the coming years,” says Gijsbertha.
