Reopening of shops, taxation, border restrictions, living environment: the latest measures taken by the Collectivity

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The president, Daniel Gibbs and his first vice-president, Valérie Damaseau spoke directly on Monday, May 11, at the  6nd Weekly COM live point of the Community.

Among the main news of the day, the territorial executive announced: Reopening of public services

We held a technical committee on Thursday, May 7, and it was agreed to proceed with the disinfection of all the buildings of the Collectivity, in order to be able, once again, to welcome staff and the public.

Disinfection is scheduled this week.

We will be holding a new technical committee next week to define the terms for a gradual resumption of services from May 18.

The public service continuity crisis plan therefore remains in force until further notice.

The emergency services remain open for the Civil Registry, the Social Center and the technical services, in order to allow you to carry out the emergency formalities.

All the delegations of the Collectivity have been mobilized in the management of this crisis, from day one.

We should welcome the involvement of our territorial agents who are fully mobilized in the service of the citizens, in particular the most disadvantaged.

On this precise point, the Collectivity maintains its Solidarity Pact system.

Last week, we distributed 22 meals from the CTOS and 318 food parcels to the elderly, the disabled and those in precarious situations.

Reopening of shops

This week, several categories of trade are authorized to reopen their doors.

For now, only bars and restaurants have to wait.

Some traders have alerted us to the need for them to organize a longer sales period to allow them to restart their business.

I have heard this call from our businesses which are going through unprecedented difficulties and I have contacted the Ministry of the Economy and Finance, Minister Bruno Lemaire and Madame la Préfète, so that the official sales period may be instituted, exceptionally this year, from May 11 to August 31, rather than from May 11 to 24, 2020.

This measure is likely to give traders a real chance to find cash to pay their suppliers and so that they can restart their business under more favorable conditions.

For the tourism and catering sector, we hope to reopen as quickly as possible for this sector of activity which constitutes a large part of the local economic fabric.

We organized working meetings with the State services, but also with the actors concerned and socio-professional organizations, in order to discuss with them the health modalities of the recovery but also the aid devices that we made available. since a few weeks.

We are in the process of implementing a deconfinement plan with Madame la Préfète.

This plan will include modalities of action and recommendations, in order to allow tourism businesses to reopen their establishments, before the end of May, as long as sanitary conditions remain favorable.

The President of the Republic has given us his agreement, on the condition of implementing strict and appropriate sanitary measures, making it possible to protect customers and staff.

We are working on it. The restaurateurs have made proposals. We will be able to give clear directions in the coming days.

Border restrictions

The economy of Saint-Martin has historically been built in connection with the Dutch side and vice versa.

The family, cultural and economic interactions between the north and the south are inseparable; Saint-Martin residents hold on to it because their daily life is built like this.

These interactions are based on the Treaty of 1648 and the principle dear to Saint-Martin of free movement of goods and people.

Our economy, like that of Sint Maarten, operates on these historic foundations, shaken since the Covid crisis19.

Strict border control, which - let us remember - is an exceptional device that responds to the urgency of the health crisis, is a sensitive issue for all of us.

The Collectivity puts all its energy so that the competent authorities soften the system while remaining vigilant, and allow employees and business leaders to move between the two parts of the island.

The survival of businesses and therefore of our economy is at stake.

Discussions are ongoing and we have made a number of proposals to the Dutch side in the framework of the tripartite meetings.

Borders are restricted for health reasons, but at a time of deconfinement and stabilization of the health situation in our neighbors, this question must be answered quickly.

Taxation

Many taxpayers ask us about the 2019 income tax return and it is to their credit!

The campaign started last week, with reports starting to arrive in mailboxes.

The declaration forms and the corresponding notices are online on the Community's website.

Once completed, the tax returns of professionals and individuals can be deposited in the mailbox located at the entrance of the tax department or treasury.

The declaration deadline is May 31, 2020. The Executive Council may extend this date if necessary.

On component 1 of the solidarity fund-Covid19, the Saint-Martin Public Finance Center tells us that it has processed 250 files out of 826 requests. Many business leaders are waiting for this financial assistance, for the month of March and for the month of April.

We asked the services of the Directorate General of Public Finance, the DGFIP, to make every effort to speed up the processing of files submitted by companies in Saint Martin.

We should also remember that the Center des finances publics de Saint-Martin is processing the tax deferrals we have put in place to support businesses in the context of this crisis.

To be able to benefit from the deferrals of payment of the TGCA and corporate tax until December 31, 2020 and the business license until March 31, 2021, business leaders are invited to download the form provided for in this Indeed, on the website of the Collectivity, then return it to the DGFIP.

The framework of life

Regarding the work in progress, the Cadre de Vie delegation, chaired by our colleague Vice-President Steven Patrick, continues its public service actions.

The last section of the burial site for electrical and fiber networks for the Cripple Gate / Saint-Louis sector is almost complete.

The service provider is redoubling its efforts to close the site today.

The technical services are continuing plumbing, electrical and floor marking work in 1st grade schools.

To date, the 12 primary schools have benefited from this work. The site will be extended to secondary establishments.

The Living Environment Delegation has planned a working meeting, Tuesday, May 12, with the client to fix the date for resumption of work on the Sandy Ground bridge. 10 days of work are necessary to put the bridge back into service.

A final phase of work of a period of 21 days will then be scheduled during the long holidays.

We will then have completed the complete rehabilitation of the Sandy Ground bridge, for a total investment of 1.6 million euros.

At the beginning of deconfinement, we renew our recommendations for caution.

The deconfinement must be approached with the greatest vigilance and we count on your common sense to preserve the results of the efforts made over the past two months.

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