This was what Carline Sablan, the agency’s economic development analyst, disclosed to the Variety yesterday, citing the “inaction” of the call center’s officials.
We Manage Call was granted tax breaks in Feb. 2006. Once it expires, the company can request for an extension of its 2-year QC.
However, Sablan said, the call center has not asked for a renewal.
“The next step of the board is to suspend or revoke the QC which means we’re taking the benefits back,” she told Variety.
The board is expected to discuss the issue in its next meeting.
“The call center is in noncompliance status right now and the board will discuss its next plan or action,” Sablan said.
She said technically, the company has been noncompliant after Feb. 23.
The call center business is a partnership between Van Der Maas and Los Angeles-based Smit Suyzentkunst who owned 65 percent of the company.
The initial investment would have been $2 million with total indirect investment of close to $30 million over 10 years — these included payroll, taxes, new telecommunication equipment, and renovation of its location.
Marianas Business Plaza, the former Nauru Building in Susupe is supposed location of the call center.
Van Der Maas, in an interview yesterday, said the company is still in interested in opening the call center but it has to wait until “everything is clear about the federalization issue.”
According to Van Der Maas, “Now that the governor plans to sue the federal government on federalization issue, we need to wait for that until everything is clear because it’s still the main factor in our business.”
Asked if they will ask for the renewal of their QC, he said: “We’re planning to do that…but not at this time because the situation is still unclear.”
Van Der Maas said they also have to consider the high power rates and the federally mandated minimum wage hikes.
But he said they are still serious in investing in the CNMI.
“I hate to give up this business because I have invested a lot of time and money already — there’s nothing we can do but to wait for the proper time,” he said.
CDA’s Sablan said the revocation of a QC means that a company needs to start at step one if it decides to apply for a new one.
