WILLEMSTAD - Finance Minister Javier Silvania of the MFK party firmly stated during a Central Committee meeting in Parliament on Monday that no tax forgiveness has been granted for companies with debts from before 2017.
The debate, which had been suspended in May last year, resumed with a focus on the "forgiveness" of older tax debts. Silvania clarified his position, stating, "I have not forgiven a single cent of taxes for companies from 2017 or earlier. The Receiver applies a restructuring policy for those years." He added that the government's priority is on collecting debts incurred from 2018 onward.
Opposition parliamentarians, particularly MAN party member Giselle Mc William, challenged Silvania’s statements, pointing to his previous Facebook posts, where he allegedly mentioned tax forgiveness. However, Silvania reiterated that no debts had been written off, emphasizing that the Receiver's office was following an adjusted collection policy for older tax debts.
When pressed for details on alleged large-scale tax forgiveness for certain companies, Silvania avoided addressing specifics, referring instead to confidential documents available at the parliamentary registry. He maintained that privacy concerns prevented the release of all information.
PNP parliamentarian Sheldry Osepa raised further questions, seeking clarification about an August 10, 2023, Court of Justice ruling that addressed both tax exemptions for businesses and the accuracy of Silvania’s prior Facebook posts on the subject. Osepa even suggested the possibility of misconduct by the minister, but Silvania did not directly respond to the allegation.
Silvania also faced questions from Mc William regarding the alleged forgiveness of 16 million guilders in taxes to a company reportedly linked to the MFK party. Silvania sidestepped the inquiry, instead referring MPs to the documents available for review.
PAR faction leader Quincy Girigorie joined the debate, questioning Silvania about three unnamed companies that, according to Girigorie, had been ordered to settle their tax debts under the previous government. This, Girigorie argued, contradicted Silvania's accusations that the former coalition, composed of PAR, MAN, and PIN, had failed to take action on recovering millions in unpaid taxes.
In response, Silvania posed a rhetorical question to Girigorie and fellow PAR MP Ana Maria Pauletta, asking why they now expected him to recover these debts when the previous administration had not done so.
The debate grew more intense as opposition MPs criticized Silvania for submitting requested documents to Parliament only on the morning of the meeting. Girigorie called on parliamentary chairperson Charetti America-Francisca to suspend the session for two hours to allow time for MPs to review the materials. However, the chairperson rejected this request, and the meeting continued as scheduled.