Right call
GOVERNOR Palacios said he doesn’t want to raise taxes and penalize businesses and people “because of the misappropriation [and] misdeeds [of] government officials.” Right on. Economic recovery depends on several factors that are mostly beyond the CNMI’s control. Many businesses are still struggling, and imposing additional costs and other burdens on them is unlikely to raise additional revenue, if at all. The likely unintended consequences, moreover, include (more) job cuts and/or (more) price hikes. So no. A thousand times no to new/additional taxes and/or fees.
Instead, government “spending like there’s no tomorrow” must stop, as the governor has said.
Meanwhile, we should also remind ourselves that the administration’s budget review team is still reviewing the ARPA accounts and the government’s financial records. This is not an easy task considering that the intent is to be as “thorough as possible” and to provide accurate information. But these are worthy goals.
Right direction
AT the legislative building, the House JGO panel announced that because there are already “several criminal investigations into the BOOST program,” the committee will “turn [its] attention to legislative solutions to our economic situation that focus on the proper expenditure of future federal funds.” Well and good.
For their part, senators have met with MVA officials to discuss its ongoing operations and the current situation of the CNMI’s only industry. More lawmakers should pay attention to these and other matters that directly affect the local economy which is the government’s revenue base.
But please lawmakers. Deliberate before you legislate. Conduct public hearings. Gather and evaluate information. Consider all aspects of the issue. Hear different perspectives. Be well-informed.
Right approach
WE commend Congressman Kilili for re-introducing legislation that would grant CNMI-only permanent status to qualified long-term foreign workers and investors in the Commonwealth.
This bill, H.R. 560, is more urgently needed now. Its passage would cut red-tape and provide some stability to the CNMI workforce.
As pointed by the congressman, the number of the foreign nationals who could apply for CNMI-only status is “small” — about 1,600 workers and 26 investors — but any further decrease in the CNMI’s already shrinking population will hurt the ailing local economy and, consequently, the Commonwealth government’s ability to fund its operations and services.
To be sure, any immigration-related measure is a “hot-button” topic in the U.S. Congress, but the bill has absolutely nothing to do with the ongoing (and never ending) immigration debate in the states. We’re talking about a CNMI-only bill involving foreign nationals who are long-term island residents lawfully here, vetted by federal authorities and are gainfully employed or are legitimate business owners.
We believe that many stateside U.S. lawmakers would not oppose the bill once they are informed about the CNMI’s unique situation and the many challenges it faces as it tries to create a more stable economy so it can be less dependent on federal funds.
The new administration, both houses of the Legislature and the local business community should pool their efforts and help Congressman Kilili amplify his bill’s message in the nation’s capital.
