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Yachts fuelling outside, Frans calls for inquiry
by The Daily Herald
Posted: Dec 19, 2005 15:10 UTC
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According to Richardson, who brought up the issue during the budget debate in the Island Council on Friday, he received information from a “captain of a local airline” who had witnessed this supplying by a barge just off St. Maarten.
“This is illegal and it has to be stopped,” said Richardson, noting that by fuelling just off the island, megayachts were evading excises on fuel, which they would have had to pay at one of the local marinas.
Commissioner of Economic Affairs Theo Heyliger responded later during the debate on Friday that even if this were true, it would be a difficult issue to tackle, because St. Maarten has no say outside its territorial waters. “What must we do? Hijack them, pull them in, tell them now you’re in our jurisdiction and you have to fuel here?”
However, Richardson wanted this matter looked into. “We have to find out what is happening,” he said. Authorities such as the Coast Guard have to be informed about this practice, which he said could lead to dangerous situations and marine pollution.
In addition, fuelling outside means loss of business and it also means less revenue for government. “We need to make sure that these revenues come to the coffers of government. Fees and excises have to be paid. People are being cheated,” he said. “This has been happening for a while now and we need an investigation to find out who’s doing this,” he said.
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