~ Duncan, De Weever still discussing BTA ~
PHILIPSBURG--Justice Minister Roland Duncan is still engaged in discussions with Labour Minister Cornelius de Weever on his proposal to give 1,610 Brooks Tower Accord (BTA) applicants' "real employers" one last chance to present themselves and give their employees a chance to obtain BTA permits.
Duncan said during radio programme "For The Record" on 99.9FM on Sunday that he had made his proposal to De Weever, but was yet to conclude talks on the matter.
The Justice Minister said the matter had to be resolved, because while he did not condone breaking the law, he was not in favour of repatriating the 1,610 BTA applicants who had applied for their permits using documents from "bogus employers."
Duncan had said recently that a number of "bogus employers" running "paper companies" that did not pay taxes or health insurance premiums had filed 1,610 applications for workers under the BTA arrangement. His proposal was for the real employers to come forward within a specified time, no questions asked. Those who failed to do so would be penalised, he had said.
"I don't think that I have to reject these applicants. The fact that they dreadfully want to stay in St. Maarten isn't a legal reason to say you will break or circumvent the law, but on the other hand I think it would be extremely disruptive to the society if we go and start picking up 1,600 people plus their families when most of them are working," Duncan said. "I think it will disrupt the society and it will damage the economy. I don't want to do that."
Duncan said most persons in St. Maarten were employed, as the country's "unemployment number is very low."
He said the bulk of the BTA applicants were employed somewhere by someone and it was "offensive and downright scummish" for their real employers to refuse to support their legalisation.
"From my perspective, I intend to be pretty harsh in dealing with employers when they are caught. That's why my proposal is to give them one last chance."
Duncan said a few real employers had since presented themselves. He said unpaid taxes and health insurance premiums were issues that would have to be addressed with the real employers. He said it was not his responsibility to grant these employers an exemption on their back taxes because they had come forward.
"That's an issue that we have to deal with," he said. "On the other hand we have an island; we are looking at the economics of it and people are complaining how things are sluggish, how government is supposed to make revenues and we have a very significant part of our society who are not carrying their role and are shirking their duties.
"And I'm saying, 'You want good roads, you want police protection ... but you're not contributing. Why? For your own greedy reasons?' I don't think I'm going to have sympathy for that."
Duncan said, "The Minister of Labour might tell me, 'No, I'm not giving permits,' but for the time being I need society to recognise that this is serious. It's not just the applicants, the poor people out there. Yes, they were ripped off, but they participated in being ripped off also.
"I have employers who are not only ripping off their employees but they're ripping off government. I want employers to be ashamed about walking around as a businessman in St. Maarten and knowing, when you look at yourself in the mirror, 'I don't participate.'"
Duncan said that while St. Maarten was unique with a number of nationalities represented, it was working to the country's detriment. "I'm not saying close doors and kick out everyone and close down businesses for non-compliance, but if we are to be a mature society ... then everyone has to contribute their share, and if you feel it's not a fair share then say so and pressure the politicians, but just don't duck and circumvent the law.
"On the other hand, I see that the civil service, the government is reluctant to take action. ... What do we do if we don't give these 1,600 people permits? What do we do with them? If I don't solve the problem of the permit and you don't have a work permit then I can't give a residence permit," he said.
Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/20797-few-real-employers-have-come-forward.html
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