TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Another boondoggle for the SXM government

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I don't want coverage under your crappy SXM health insurance, thank you very much. At least Brison is up front that the purpose is to make money for the SXM government.

Is he indicating the NEW insurance will go back to $30 or is he unaware the current price is $15? The purpose all along was to make $$$.

Kind of like the departure fee/tax. I believe it is now up to $39 and nobody notices since it is built into their airfare.

Apparently he thinks it is currently $30. I was thinking when I was reading that, that it was now $15. The money currently I think goes to the private insurance companies who are administering it.

Personally speaking, until Mr. Brison sees the full implementation of some of his past promises - ie Mullet Bay assistance to resolution of Towers and golf course ownership as a perfect example - I’m inclined NOT to be in favor of virtually anything new he comes up with. But that’s just me……

He states that the coverage would be for COVID and accidents and goes on to say that if someone became seriously ill, it would include emergency travel home. But if someone suffers a heart attack or other non-COVID illness, they would not be covered. It would also imply that we will need to continue to with the pre-authorization process indefinitely, unless maybe it was rolled into the airfare as the departure tax is now.

Does not sound like a well thought out plan to me.

Mikel--Yes, that would be a PITA, to have to do pre-authorization permanently. Hopefully this won't pass.

Just a big money grab.

Imagine that, another clueless politician. Plenty of them to go around.

Tourists - you know, those people that come over with MONEY- so we can take it from them, right? Of course, that’s why they do exist, so we can take money from them as much as we think is possible….

Almost like legal extortion?

I am in total agreement here. I pay a good amount of money to have Skymed total coverage and I would not be inclined to buy anything more than that. I am willing to pay the $15.00 that we have to pay right now--but that is it!! Make me pay more, I will go elsewhere (like there isn't anywhere else??)

As Rural Carrier said--Another Clueless Politician.

Getting really tired of all of this.

Boston levies a .7% tax on hotel rooms above the state sales tax. I'm in the process of renting a house in Florida and recently discovered that the landlord needs to pay a tax on the rent.

My point? Governments everywhere will find a way to levy extra fees from "out of towners". At least this is a flat fee. And if you can afford to fly and stay on St. Martin an extra 30 bucks really shouldn't break the bank. Or (honestly??) cause you to go somewhere else. Tourism is pretty literally the island's only industry and it's taken a sever hit between Irma and Covid; the government is just taking advantage of the resources it has.

Revenue helps the island and the insurance companies that are there for their people. The fact that tourist what to rub two nickels together to wish everything is normal is troubling.

Thanks and liked your constructive response to this issue.

Maybe, if this new tax on tourists passes than many potential visitors will show their disfavor by going somewhere else on their vacations. Or maybe, you're willing to fund this cost for anyone that is opposed. Its only 30 bucks per person, it shouldn't break your bank.

PJIA saw 1.8 million passengers travel through the terminal in 2015. If that number is approaching 2 million passengers now than that means this would be a tax that generates $60 million US dollars to Sint Maarten. If you read the article than you see that the MP wants this money to flow to SZV, which is the SXM version of the US Social Security Administration. They want the money to pay for pensions and healthcare for their citizens because they can't get their house in order.

I agree with you. It is extortion. For every tourist that says no and goes somewhere else, they'll lose thousands in revenue for the $30 their trying to lift out of their wallet.

I think that is not a matter of $30 more or less, but how the money is spent. It does not matter if it is a tourist or a resident it is just that if you are levied some tax you would like to see some improvement. May be roads? May be safety? May be health care? Turn over tax was supposed to be temporary at 1% after Luis, 27 years later it is till there and at 5%. Was anything done to really improve the island infrastructure other than the Simpson Bay bridge crossing the lagoon? Not in my opinion.

And that is a BIG part of their problems when it comes to finances, CORRUPTION and gross mismanagement!

$30 is not going to make or break me, but if/when they get this, it will likely continue to increase. Just like the departure fee/tax that was (I think) $6 when I first did a stay over visit, it is now $39 and the airport/island has more financial issues than ever before.

enzosxm made an accurate and profound assessment of the situation.

You are correct, and two additions. The causeway was considered and proposed by the Dutch prior to independence of the Dutch side and was funded by bonds purchased by the Dutch. The Dutch are already writing off the payments the island can't make and will most likely end up having to forgive the whole cost. The other major project in the past 25 years was the airport and the Dutch developed and paid for those improvements. If it wasn't for the quarterly Tranches that the Dutch made for the last 2 years, Sint Maarten would be a 5th world country.

And about the airport, phase III which was in the original 1997 proposal and was supposed to start in 2012, has never happened because of the ineptness of the countries government.

Imagine that! Thanks for the additions.