By Nazario Rodriguez Jr.
Horizon news staff

While President Remengesau urged the country and the people to support the government’s tax reform program, two of his staunchest critics from the House of Delegates are not buying the idea of imposing new taxes.
Ngarchelong Delegate Kerai Mariur said imposing taxes would lessen more the buying power of the people.
Mariur said it is time for the administration to start agreeing that there is an economic problem in Palau and that imposing new taxes will not solve the problem.
"There is an imbalance between the prices (of basic commodities) and wages," said Mariur.
Mariur and Koror Delegate Joel Toribiong provided a copy of a report on the audit of financial statements as well as an independent auditor’s reports on internal control and on compliance (year ended Sept. 30, 2006).
Mariur said there was a big difference in the expenditures as compared to the collections on the periods 2005 and 2006.
Mariur said data from the Deloitte & Touche LLP showed that the 2006 total revenues was $45,609,396 while the 2006 figures was $47,906,358.
Total taxes collected $29,375,528 in 2006 and $30,085,362 in 2005. Total fees and charges in 2006 was $3,354,863 and in 2005 $3,480,985.
Mariur said the declining collections should be a reason to be alarmed and that this is not a good sign to impose new taxes to the people.
Mariur said that what is need is to trim down the expenses of the government.
"The people has the right to know the real financial situation of the country," Mariur said.
He said that the government must stop from playing politics and help one another to get rid of the economic crises the country is faced with.
Mariur and Toribiong said they preferred not to attend yesterday’s leadership meeting called by the President because "we are servants and not leaders."
They said that such leadership meeting is pre-arranged by the administration officials themselves. Asian Spirit’s pullout stalled MOH forging of mutual help with Cebu hospital.