St. Maarten Private Eye

There should be a garbage tax, property taxes for all and most of all a tax on Jewelry and Luxury Items. St. Thomas prides itself as being duty free, they were smart enough to hide the tax in the price, which goes to Government. The tourist normally doesn't know the difference, and doesn't care, it is still a deal. I have met people from the Cruise Lines that thought a carton of cigarettes for $18.00 was a deal and it was, yet here in Sint Maarten on Front Street you can buy the same carton for $11.00., the same goes for Jewelry, there is a big difference in pricing in St., Thomas and Sint Maarten, yet we have some of the same stores. Wouldn't that extra $7.00 U.S. dollars be nice tax revenue (provided we have a checks and balance system with the stores that it is paid monthly to the Government.) and think of the Jewelry, when someone spends $10.000.00 for a diamond an extra $500.00 U.S. dollars as a tax doesn't really matter to them. If they are on Carnival Cruise Lines however you will lucky to get a sale of $100.00, yet our Tourist Office is pushing for more Carnival Passengers while St., Kitts and Curacao are catering to Princess. A Garbage tax would be great provided it is picked up in front of our houses. There would be no need for an increase in the TOT, besides the Governor is trying to run most NV's off of the Island, unless of course you own Ace Hardware, May's, Prime Distributors, Le Grande Marche or some other huge company. So much for trying to obtain a middle class. There goes the neighborhood!