WILLEMSTAD - The Parliament of Curaçao will convene this morning to discuss Minister Javier Silvania's proposal to forgive three billion guilders in old tax debts. The coalition has put the topic back on the agenda after the opposition had previously canceled the planned meeting for Tuesday.
Earlier, the PAR and MAN factions had urgently requested a meeting on August 20 to discuss with Silvania the three billion guilders in tax debt forgiveness. Silvania, however, only sent a flood of documents late in the afternoon of September 23, making it practically impossible for PAR and MAN to review them in time for Tuesday's meeting.
PAR leader Quincy Girigorie stated that there were indications that parliamentarians supporting the Pisas II cabinet intended to submit a motion during the meeting to justify and legalize, in their view, Silvania's potentially illegal decision to forgive the three billion guilders in tax debts. The opposition parties stressed that Minister Silvania's actions may be subject to criminal liability.
Given the importance of the request and the urgency for the coalition, MFK, KEM, and Jesus-Leito deemed it necessary to hold a public meeting as soon as possible. They seek to gain clarity today and take a definitive position on their minister's actions regarding the cleanup of the tax records of the Receiver's Office.