WILLEMSTAD - Finance Minister Javier Silvania asserted that he has done nothing wrong regarding the forgiveness of three billion guilders in tax debts, which pertain to assessments from 2017 and earlier. During a marathon meeting in parliament yesterday, he stated that there is no law prohibiting the Receiver from offering discounts on tax debts.
However, the opposition holds a different view. Steven Martina from the MAN party acknowledged that while the intent behind the policy may be good, its execution has been flawed. He, along with the rest of the opposition, is convinced that Silvania may have acted unlawfully.
Faction leaders Quincy Girigorie (PAR) and Sheldry Osepa (PNP) focused their remarks on an analysis conducted by the Dutch law firm De Roos en Pen regarding the cleanup of the Receiver's collection files. This firm was commissioned by Silvania to conduct the investigation and subsequently provided a report that the minister distributed to the members of parliament before the meeting commenced.
According to both Girigorie and Osepa, who are both lawyers by profession, it appears that the Finance Minister did not provide all relevant information to the Dutch law firm. They argue that this omission results in a distorted view presented in the report.