Island Government of Saba

Subject: Zagers returns from Holland satisfied with meeting

Commissioner of Finance, Bruce Zagers, returned on Wednesday after his recent visit to the Netherlands. Zagers elicited that he landed back on his home island of Saba with a sense of satisfaction regarding the short-notice meeting in The Netherlands. Island Secretary, Menno van der Velde was also part of the delegation who requested the urgent meeting with State Secretary Jan Kees de Jager.

Zagers stated to GIS, “The delegation in Bonaire did not have the liberty to answer many questions posed by the BES islands. It was obvious during the session that the issues needed to be discussed further on a political level. The delegation was instrumental in assisting the islands with the arranging of the meeting with the State Secretary in Holland”

“I am very grateful for the hospitality and the acceptance that the State Secretary has shown the delegation during our short visit. Although we had little time to sufficiently peruse all the underlying documentation in the fourth draft tax law, together with Statia we were able to bring forward the main issues. These main points were debated between the two islands, Saba and Statia, and at the end one document was created which was discussed with the State Secretary and his delegation.” stated Zagers

Currently, the proposed fourth draft tax laws are still of a confidential nature which means that specific details of the meeting were not given to GIS during the interview. Zagers elicited that he did not want to compromise the process, as significant improvements of the proposed tax law have recently been achieved during the meeting in Holland. “In the future when the documentation is somewhat finalized, information campaigns by both the Island Government and the Dutch Ministry of Finance will be launched to inform the citizens of the Island. I can say however, that the new proposal has an obvious shift in direct taxes to indirect taxes, meaning that tax burden would be shared.”

The fourth draft tax proposal is based on four main principles. The new system should generate sufficient revenues, but should be more or less equal to what is currently being collected. The new system should be simplified thus making it easier to implement and execute on all levels. There should also be a broad based level of acceptance of the new tax system. This system should stimulate economic activities on the BES islands. The foremost points which were brought up were centered on the four principles. It was in this manner that the delegation members were able to substantiate their arguments about their various concerns.

While in Holland, Zagers held a brief meeting with Mr. M.A.F Groenen who is a senior policy maker who is focusing on the dollarization process on the islands. Groenen, whom recently visited the islands, was unable to meet all the Government representatives due to the tax presentation on Bonaire. This provided a good opportunity to meet while in Den Haag, as both Commissioners of Finance were present. Zagers stated to GIS, “Different scenarios were discussed as to how we would proceed during the transition period before 2011 when the US Dollar would become our official currency. Mr. Groenen assured us that ample time will be given and information will be distributed to the population in as early as 1^st Quarter of 2010.”

Const. Affairs, Finance, General

Commissioner Zagers

SUBJECT: Zagers attends urgent meeting in Holland regarding new tax draft

Date: Sunday, October 25, 2009

On Saturday, October 24, Commissioner of Finance Bruce Zagers left Saba to urgently travel to Holland for a meeting with State Secretary of Finance, Jan Kees de Jager. This unanticipated visit to the Netherlands was deemed necessary by both Saba and Statia after an attending a presentation on Bonaire by Dutch Civil Servants regarding the fourth draft tax laws.

Zagers initially was hesitant to travel to the Netherlands on short notice, however, he stated that he felt a “sense of urgency” to meet with the State Secretary and that this was his deciding factor for the working visit. Commissioner Zagers informed GIS that, “A window of opportunity was made available by the State Secretary and we felt it necessary to take advantage of the opportunity to express the islands concerns about the proposed draft laws.”

Zagers stressed his dissatisfaction on how the process was handled. Proposals made in the third draft tax laws had been previously discussed at length and several agreements had been made. However, now being several months later, the Islands are presented with a new proposal which has been drafted unilaterally by the Dutch representatives. This new proposal varies significantly from the third proposal.

“The meeting in Bonaire was definitely an eye opener for the Islands”, stated Zagers. The meeting was adjourned on a few occasions making it necessary for the islands as well as the Dutch Delegation to hold private discussions. It was determined by the representatives of the BES islands that a letter would be send to the State Secretary voicing the BES islands concerns. This letter will be sent to the Ministry of Finance before the actual meeting with Saba and Statia.

The BES islands received the new draft approximately one week before the presentations on Bonaire. Recently, it was also learnt that this proposal would be sent to the second chamber for approval on Wednesday, October 28^th; just a few days after the islands only received the opportunity to get a brief explanation on the proposed tax laws.

“Although the new proposal seems slightly better than the current tax system, there are still areas that vary tremendously from the third draft tax law proposal. I feel that the private sectors of the islands were not adequately taken into consideration with this new proposal. Any new inclusions in the new tax system will have major consequences for each island territory”.

Zagers concluded by stating,” This visit to the Netherlands will give both Saba and St. Eustatius the opportunity to plea their individual cases to the State Secretary of Finance. This seems to be our only granted opportunity to discuss this proposal before it goes to the Second Chamber. Although there is little time remaining, I look forward to a positive and fruitful meeting with Mr. de Jager.”

SOURCE: Saba Government Information Services

Finance, General

Subject: Amateur Boxing on Saba

October 20, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

Last week, Commissioner of Sports Bruce Zagers met with Mr. Genghis Khan, Dean Johnson, and Milton Ottley and his advisor from the Sint Maarten Amateur Boxing Club Association. This meeting involved promoting the sport of amateur boxing on Saba.

Mr. Khan has been actively involved with this sport on Saba for over a year by starting with a group of three young men. Currently, he has grown his numbers to 10 youths. Khan and his team practice three times a week in the gym. Part of the training involves the boys doing endurance training on their off days.

Last year one the students participated in an event on the French side and did surprisingly well, taking into consideration there was little preparation or experience. This proves that our island has potential in this sport.

Saba will start an amateur boxing club in the near future. An association will be started to further establish amateur boxing on the Island. Once the association has been formed, the Saba group can become affiliated with the Sint Maarten Amateur and Professional Boxing Association. The advantages of joining this association will afford people the opportunity to be part of seminars and invitations to different bouts. The Sint Maarten Association is a member of the IBA (International Boxing Association).

Zagers stated that, “There are plans for an official launch of amateur boxing during the Saba Day celebrations. The Government will financially assist in purchasing a floor ring that can be used for practices and exhibition bouts. “ Zagers went on to say, “I fully support the initiative taken by Mr. Khan and I look forward to hearing more about these kind of positive outlets for our youth.”

Source: Saba Government Information Services – gis@sabagov.com

Photo caption:

Culture, General

Subject: Saba Delegation to discuss tax laws on Bonaire

October 20, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

On Tuesday, a delegation from Saba consisting of Commissioner Bruce Zagers, Island Secretary Menno van der Velde, and Pro-bono Advisor Will Johnson left Saba to attend tax discussions on Bonaire. The discussions will surround amendments made to the proposed third draft of the tax laws for the BES islands.

Based on very clear instructions from the Ministry of Finance in Holland, this documentation that is being discussed is still of a confidential nature. Being such, it cannot be divulged to the public until there is some certainty of a final draft. Since 2007 there has been three different variations of the tax law which were all different from one another. This variation will be the fourth.

Commissioner Bruce Zagers stated to GIS, “Since my tenure in 2007 as Commissioner of Finance, this is the fourth variation of the proposed tax law presented to the BES islands. I understand the stance of the Ministry of Finance by not divulging this information, because it will only cause undue stress to the community. There are still a lot of options open on the table for discussions so this is by no means a final documentation agreed upon between the BES islands.”

Zagers went on to say that “this delegation brings a wealth of experience to the table and will fight for the best interest of Saba and it’s population. The people of Saba can be rest assured that this delegation will defend the stance of Saba and will do its best to assure that the tax system is fair and realistic for Saba”.

Zagers understands that the people in the community are concerned about the uncertainty of the new tax laws. “The community should also realize that no island or country can function without a well working tax structure. The reality is that the tax Department has not functioned adequately for many years and because of this, many entities have grown used to somewhat of a “tax free land”.”

Over the past few decades some people have gotten away with not paying taxes, however, the proposed system will focus more on indirect taxes rather than direct taxes. Therefore, the tax burden gets shared amongst the community rather than individual entities.

Source: Saba Government Information Services – gis@sabagov.com

Photo caption:

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Commissioner Zagers

Civil Servants to receive back pay

On Thursday, October 8^th, 2009, Commissioner of Finance Bruce Zagers announced news concerning the payment of the retroactive salary for the civil servants of Saba. Zagers said that he received the notification from the CFT (Financial Supervision Committee) and that State Secretary Ms. Ank Bijleveld had signed the agreement releasing the funds for the years 2003 until 2005. Zagers also said that with special permission from the CFT the payment of the portion for 2008 can also be made available to the civil servants shortly.

On Wednesday, October 7^th, Zagers requested an extraordinary Central Committee meeting to discuss the new developments, with special emphasis to the issue of payment for 2008. The Executive Council will send a letter to the CFT requesting approval of this payment before the actual budget amendment would be made. Zagers told GIS, “Before such a move was made, I needed to first discuss it with my colleagues in the Central Committee”.

In 2001 the Executive Council of Saba made a decision to start the process of giving periodic increases to the civil servants. During that time, the Council faced major liquidity problems and were unable to implement said decision. Last year, this old decision was brought to the attention of this Executive Council. Zagers stated that he immediately started the process by obtaining the necessary legal advice and the actual calculations, which proved by be complex and time consuming.

In November last year it was decided that the disbursement of the retroactive payments would be made in early December. Payroll was made and the budget amendments were prepared. The budget amendment was sent to the CFT for approval but based on advice from BZK these payments were to be included into the debt relief for the Netherlands Antilles. Consequently, the amendment was not approved meaning the payment was put on hold.  Being that the payroll had already been calculated this meant that the gross amounts appeared on the civil servant payslips. Because of this setback much undue stress and unrest came over the civil servant apparatus.

“During the past nine months a lot of work has been dedicated to resolving this issue.  There were numerous procedures that needed to be addressed and put in order to get as far as we are today”, stated Zagers. 

An independent accountant, Ernst and Young, was hired to verify the calculations and also evaluate the legality of the process. During their verifications an oversight made during the initial calculation was discovered. Originally the gross amount for the retroactive salaries was over Naf 700,000. Once these calculations were revised the new gross amount was over 1.2 million guilders. This means that most civil servants will receive a higher payment than what was originally expected.

Payment for the years 2006-2007 are still pending, but should become available before the end of the year. Approval for the payment has already been made but the disbursement of the funds is awaiting budget amendments in Holland. The total gross amount which will remain outstanding is Naf. 570,000.

“I fully understand the frustration that the civil servant apparatus with the delay in these payments.  However, the proper procedures needed to be followed before approval could be given to the Executive Council.  I’d like to remind the community that we are under financial supervision and because of this, things do not exactly go as quickly as we’ve grown accustom to.  The delivery of this payment is not affiliated with any type of political strategy as rumours have suggested in regards to the upcoming Central Election”, stated Commissioner Zagers.

On Wednesday Zagers received a positive update from the CFT and immediately requested the Central Committee meeting to discuss the new development.  On Thursday, Zagers got a “green light” from the CFT and immediately communicated this decision to the Finance Department so that they can start preparing new payroll calculations.

“I fully acknowledge that there are many instigators trying to turn the civil servant apparatus against this Administration because this payment was delayed.  However, the fact remains that this has been a major priority for the Executive Council since last year when the 2001 Decision was brought to our attention.  The rights of civil servants have always been a priority for this Administration.”

In the previous two years, all outstanding cost of living adjustments were paid including the recent ones.  Vacation allowance is now being paid on-time and most importantly a decision made in 2001 was resurrected and put on a high-priority to be solved.  Although the back payment was delayed, all civil servants were placed in their correct scales as of January 1^st, 2009 and without any kind of job-performance evaluations. 

“The persons whom have tried tirelessly to instil a lack of faith in this administration amongst the civil servants have failed to understand the process and what the Executive Council has been able to accomplish for the civil servants for the past two years”, stated Zagers

In closing, Zagers went on to say that civil servants can expect payment to be made before the end of October.  The total gross amount which will be paid for the years 2003-2005 & 2008 is NAF. 706,140. The remainder for 2006 and 2007 will hopefully be forthcoming before the end of the year.  Commissioner Zagers stated, “On behalf of the Executive Council, we would like to graciously thank all parties involved, namely, the Finance Department, Personnel Department, CFT, Ernst & Young, and the Dutch Government.”

SOURCE: Saba Government Information Services

Finance, General

Cleanup Participants

Trash littering our beaches and choking our ecosystems is a threat to wildlife, our coastal economies, and ultimately to the ability of the ocean to sustain us.

For many years, Saba has participated in the International Coastal Cleanup, the largest yearly volunteer effort of it’s kind. The event was initiated 24 years ago by the Ocean Conservancy, and this year again hundreds of thousands of volunteers in over 100 countries were hitting their local beaches, lakes, rivers and waterways, spending a few hours removing trash and debris from coastlines, keeping track of every piece of trash they found. The data is being submitted to Ocean Conservancy, which uses that data to produce the world’s only annual country-by-country, sate-by-state index of the problem of marine debris. The report is shared with the public, industry, and government officials as we work together to find solutions to the problem of marine debris.

Armed with knowledge about the most prevalent components of marine debris, elected officials can make informed policy decisions, community leaders can tailor and expand recycling and other trash-reduction programs, corporate decision makers can improve technology and reduce packaging, and individuals can recycle, reuse, or properly dispose of trash to keep these items out of the ocean in the first place.

On September 26^th, 2009, organized by the Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF) in collaboration with the Island Government and the Burendag Committee, 4 sites were targeted: The Ladder, Spring Bay and Fort Bay for an underwater cleaning. Additionally, Burendag participants beautified Wells Bay with the placement of a picnic table, planted additional coconut trees, started a public BBQ area and upgraded playground equipment at the museum grounds.

In Fort Bay, 11 divers from Saba Divers, Saba Deep and Sea Saba, SCF and STENAPA staff/volunteers, collected approximately 20 bags of garbage from the harbor bottom and 4 onshore Harbor Office volunteers pulled up debris, including tires, boat engines and large wooden planks, which had been ripped from the harbor walls by boats and storms.

At The Ladder, 28 children and 9 adults cleaned the trail and took the garbage bags, which contained a vast amount of plastic bottles to the beach area, where Saba Sea Rescue took over the bags and transported them to Fort Bay. Approximately 10 bags of garbage were piled up, not including the 3 bicycle frames, various galvanized sheeting and other large objects.

The most notable effort took place at Spring Bay, where only 5 children and 4 adults, after an exhausting hike in the blazing sun, collected an amazing amount of 110 bags of garbage, consisting of about 1,500 plastic bottles, 300 left shoes, 3 right shoes and various large items.

 The Island Government provided school busses for the transportation of the volunteers, garbage bags and additional garbage truck collections at the sites. Local businesses were also very supportive and sponsored refreshments and ice. The A. M. Edwards Medical Center donated gloves for all participants.

After the event, all participants were invited to Burendag at the Eugenius Johnson Community Center in Windwardside for food, fun and games.

SOURCE: Saba Conservation Foundation

Environmental Affairs, General

Recently the Saba Business Association met with the Executive Council of Saba. During this meeting the SBA was given the opportunity to introduce their new Board, consisting of Claire Nuyens, Sophie van Lint, Wolfgang Tooten, and Aleida Heilbron.

The SBA expressed their desire to have closer communication with the Government in regards to constitutional reform as well as issues of Chamber of Commerce, tax structure, and any relevant business issues. Furthermore, the SBA offered expertise in certain areas to work along with the Executive Council.

This year the SBA is taking on the task of spearheading the Christmas Lighting Project. Formerly, every village use to have their own lights along the roads. The SBA plans on organizing and purchasing lightening with assistance from the Government.

Commissioner Johnson had previously met with the sub committees of the SBA concerning issues of tourism. Johnson expressed to the SBA that he enjoyed working with the sub-committees since it is often more efficient when dealing with direct issues. In regards to the sub-committees Johnson stated, “I like the direct contact with stakeholders in their particular industry”

Wolfgang Tooten of the SBA stated to GIS, “The meeting was very positive and I feel it is an improvement on the working relationship between the SBA and the Government. The SBA exists to help Saba and I hope we can have more accomplishments within the community in the near future”

Photo Caption: (LtoR) Bruce Zagers, Wolfgang Tooten, Sophie van Lint, Menno van der Velde, Jonathan Johnson, Aleida Heilbrong, Claire Nuyens, & Chris Johnson

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