THE HAGUE - The Second Chamber faction of the NSC in the Dutch Parliament is moving to halt the silent approval of the tax treaty that Curaçao is poised to sign with the Republic of San Marino. This development was revealed today during a procedural meeting of the House Finance Committee. NSC MP Folkert Idsinga anticipates garnering sufficient support to at least begin a round of written questions.
The process is unlikely to be completed before June 4. In that week, the parliamentary debate on the new tax treaty between the Netherlands and Curaçao is scheduled to take place, with delegates from the Curaçao Parliament in attendance. The intention is to also include Curaçao's tax treaty with Malta on the agenda, but this is contingent upon timely responses to questions submitted by parliamentary factions to Foreign Minister Bruins Slot and State Secretary of Finance Van Rij.
Political circles in The Hague are questioning Curaçao's rationale for pursuing tax treaties with countries that have questionable reputations in fiscal matters. These countries offer little economic potential beyond sharing expertise on facilitating tax evasion and money laundering. Concerns regarding Malta are heightened by the fact that, like Curaçao, the island serves as a safe haven for often illegally operating online gambling companies.
Idsinga's initiative reflects broader concerns about the potential implications of such treaties. "We need to ensure that our tax treaties serve the public interest and do not inadvertently support financial misconduct," Idsinga stated. The NSC's call for a written question round is a step towards scrutinizing and possibly re-evaluating these international agreements.
As the debate unfolds, stakeholders from both the Netherlands and Curaçao will be watching closely to see how these concerns are addressed and what measures will be taken to ensure that tax treaties promote transparency and integrity in fiscal matters.