Our schools have relied on this source of funding for many years now. The intent and purpose of the education tax credit, as we all know, are not only laudable and noble, but necessary as well. It allows the CNMI private sector to provide funding to the public and private schools for the education of our children.
For a long time now, schools in the CNMI have relied on the money provided under the education tax credit law to assist them in meeting the ever-increasing cost of educating our children. Unfortunately, somebody in the Legislature has this twisted idea that the law allowing the education tax credit for the schools should be repealed. This means that the money from the education tax credit could no longer be given the schools to use for the education of our children. Don’t they realize that the repeal of the education tax credit would hurt our children? This is yet another example of our elected officials not thinking out thoroughly the adverse consequences of poorly conceived ideas. Ideas that are ill-conceived usually end up hurting the people. In the case of the education tax credit if repealed, it will simply hurt our young children. Is this what our lawmakers want to happen?
And for whose benefit will the education tax credit go to, if the education tax credit law is repealed? There is no doubt that the money will then go to fund CNMI government operations and pay for the salaries of our bloated government bureaucracy. So many government employees are non-essential, political hires. Instead of trimming the personnel fat of the local government, the measure to repeal the tax credit will only further government waste of scarce public funds. The repeal of the education tax credit would now take money away from those who needed it most — the students. It will give this money to the government for personnel expenditure, where most of it would be squandered and wasted.
I am urging the governor to please reconsider the earlier statement he made that the measure to repeal the tax credit somehow has merit “at this time” because of the CNMI’s poor economic condition. Please do not sign the measure, if the legislature foolishly enacts such measure. The measure to repeal the education tax credit would only hurt our children. It is our children who will be adversely affected by it. Is this what our elected officials want to do — hurt our children and their education? Enfin Serafin!
ALEXANDRO “The Colonel” SABLAN
Dandan, Saipan
