WILLEMSTAD - The opposition party PAR has formally requested an urgent public meeting to address what they describe as the illegal actions of Finance Minister Javier Silvania in January 2023, actions which allegedly led to an unconditional tax exemption amounting to 3 billion florins.
In a letter to Parliament President Charetti America-Francisca, PAR stated that, based on court rulings and advice from state bodies, it is evident that Minister Silvania’s actions, resulting in tax forgiveness for a specific group of "non-taxpayers," were unlawful and favored this group inappropriately.
PAR highlighted that during the Central Committee meeting on May 11, 2023—continued on August 19, 2024—Minister Silvania failed to address questions regarding the legality of his actions. Instead, he focused on the role of the tax collector and refused to provide Parliament with anonymized legal advice from his ministry that evaluated the legality of his decisions.
“It is clear that the minister made every effort to avoid discussing the legality of his actions and identifying who benefited from them during the meeting,” PAR stated.
The party referenced rulings by the Superior Court on August 10, 2023, and the advice from the Social Economic Council (SER) on June 19, 2023, which, according to PAR, strongly suggest that Minister Silvania acted unlawfully. They argue that Parliament must urgently convene to gain clarity and take a formal position on the minister's actions.
To address the matter, PAR is invoking Article 64 of the Rules of Procedure, which allows them to request an urgent public meeting to discuss this critical issue with Minister Silvania.
PAR has also requested the presence of tax collector Alfonso Trona at the meeting to ensure that all relevant questions can be addressed directly.