PHILIPSBURG--Based on e-mails circulating amongst some enumerators of the recently-concluded Census 2011 and forwarded to the media during the weekend, it appears that monies owed to many of them by the government are being withheld because of back taxes they owe the government.
The enumerators ? persons who were out in the field conducting the census ? who are yet to be paid said they had never been told that the payment they would receive could be jeopardised because of unpaid taxes. In fact, some said they had asked this specific question in pre-census sessions and were told that monies would not be applied to their back taxes and that the payment was one flat fee of NAf. 1,000.
While some enumerators said they could accept the payment being applied to back taxes, others were pretty upset.
"We went out in the hot sun and sometimes left our families at night to go out and get this information for the government. We endured insults and various forms of abuse. Now we get told that we are getting nothing for all of that.
"Some of us stepped forward to do this job for specific reasons. We needed that money for specific personal things. If this was the case they should have told us from the start. But they told us it would not happen," one enumerator said, adding that the government would not have anyone to assist for the next phase of the census.
Several enumerators have confirmed receiving their payments, which were deposited in their bank accounts late last week.
Economic Affairs Secretary General Miguel DeWeever, when contacted Sunday, did not have enough information to provide an informed explanation. Neither did Finance Minister Hiro Shigemoto. However, Minister Shigemoto indicated that he would check with the Receiver's Office on Monday to obtain clarity on the situation, as it would be the Receiver that would withhold payment for taxes owed.
Shigemoto said he did not know what census workers had been told or by whom, but as far as taxes go, the Inspectorate of Taxes decides and no one else is authorised to say anything regarding payments being applied to taxes being applied owed.
Makini Hickinson, head of Department of Statistics STAT, the branch of the government that executed the census, was off-island on Sunday and could not provide a comment.
STAT Senior Statistical Analyst Maurette Antersijn confirmed to enumerators via e-mail on May 26 that their payment "has been put on hold by the tax office."
The 2011 Census began on April 9 with more than 400 enumerators in the field. The majority of these enumerators were teachers. Census 2011 was executed for nine days, until April 17. The purpose was to collect information that will be analysed into vital statistical data for St. Maarten.
STAT has scheduled a follow-up census period for next month and, in the meantime, has been asking those residents who have not been "counted in" to make appointments with the department so their information can be collected.
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