WILLEMSTAD – MAN Member of Parliament Suzanne Camelia-Römer has submitted 40 written questions to Finance Minister Charles Cooper, demanding clarity over the controversial cancellation of tax debts dating from 2017 and earlier.
According to the opposition lawmaker, the decision may have cost Curaçao an estimated ANG 3.2 billion in outstanding tax claims. Even if only ANG 750 million of that amount was realistically collectible, she argued, the loss still represents a substantial financial setback for the country. She also pointed to the cancellation of payment arrangements worth between ANG 120 million and ANG 140 million that would otherwise have generated revenue for the government.
Camelia-Römer said the loss of public funds has had real consequences, arguing that the money could have been invested in education, pension increases or other public services. She also criticized what she described as growing insecurity, insufficient police capacity and a lack of opportunities for young people, while noting that taxpayers who fulfilled their obligations received no comparable benefit.
The questions were prompted by the July 10, 2026 ruling of the Dutch Supreme Court in a cassation case in the interest of the law. The court ruled that the Joint Court of Justice, acting as the Tax Court, was not authorized to declare an appeal inadmissible based on statements made by the Finance Minister in a Facebook post announcing that tax debts from 2017 and earlier had been canceled.
According to MAN-PIN, the Supreme Court made clear that only the Civil Court has the authority to determine the legal consequences of such statements and that a minister's Facebook post cannot replace the legal basis required for government decisions.
Camelia-Römer wants the minister to explain under which legal provisions the tax debt cancellation was carried out, whether legal advice was obtained beforehand, why Parliament was not informed despite its budgetary authority, and who ordered the removal of the tax debts from the government's records.
She also questioned what measures the government intends to take for citizens who relied on official government communications showing a zero tax balance, but who may now once again face collection of tax debts from 2017 and earlier.