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>PHILIPSBURG;----  Just recently in one of the dailies our Minister of Education, Mrs. Rita Bourne-Gumbs stated that she will be contacting the banking industry to lower the interest rates for teachers interested in purchasing a property. We support whole heartedly this idea but would ask the Minister to add police officers and nurses as these are also noble professions that are earning on a daily basis this type of savings.
In a letter dated July 12, 2015 we have made this known to the Minister and have also recommended that she consider amending the present transfer tax legislature by exempting first time property buyers within these professions from paying this tax. Secondly, we have also suggested to the Minister for a portion of the land acquired by the government based on prescriptive rights in the vicinity of the Vineyard Estate to be used to construct low income duplexes. These duplexes would be constructed under the supervision of the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation as they have demonstrated to have the capacity and ability to build low income homes. Duplexes, due to the scarcity of land and this would allow a greater amount of persons to call this property their own.
As indicated first preference would be given to those persons in those noble professions mentioned above and of course with certain conditions attached to the purchase. For example these home buyers must be between the ages of 22 and forty years; it must be their first home and it can’t be sold within the first five years. In the event of a sale or a default in their mortgage payments first preference would be given to the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation to purchase the home. This is to avoid the property being used for speculative purposes and it would also allow another young person within the professions mentioned before to acquire this property under the same conditions.
We have also informed Minister Bourne-Gumbs of a mortgage loan guarantee funds that was established by the government some years ago to assist potential home buyers and that it is time that we activate it to assist our young professionals. “Charity begins at home and it is therefore the responsibility of the government to see what it can do internally before going externally, says Lenny Priest, leader of the OSPP.

Ministry of Education, Culture & Sports
The Government Administration
Clem Labega Square
Philipsburg, St. Maarten

Attention: Mrs. Rita Bourne-Gumbs
Minister

Dear Minister Bourne-Gumbs,

We have read with great interest in one of the daily publications your intention to contact the banking industry to provide teachers with lower interest rates in order to purchase or build their own homes. While we applaud this initiative we would also want you to extend it to our police officers and nurses as well. As you are very much aware education, health and security is of vital importance for the further development of any nation.

Over the years we have noticed that the biggest hurdle for most home buyers are generating the 10% - 20% deposit that is required by most banks. The second hurdle is the 4% transfer tax and the notarial fees that they must pay.

We support your call to the banking industry to lower their interest rates on mortgages for our teachers, police officers and nurses and at the same time we propose that the government amend the transfer tax legislature to exempt these first time property buyers from paying this tax. As the saying goes charity begins at home. It would be a tremendous savings for these citizens but it would also serve as an attraction for many of our young dreamers (teachers, police officers and nurses) to enter these noble professions.

Secondly, we are also proposing that the government commence the construction of low income duplexes that can be sold to these same young professionals. Duplexes, due to the scarcity of government land and it would allow a greater amount of young persons to own their own home. There also exists a government foundation “Garantie Fonds voor Eigen Woningen” perhaps you may want to activate this foundation to assist those property buyers who can’t generate the banks deposit requirement. We were hoping to have been able to provide you with a copy of the articles of the foundation but unfortunately our request to the government for a copy of same has gotten caught up in the government bureaucracy.

As you are aware the government recently acquired a property in the vicinity of the Vineyard Estate on W. G. Buncamper Road based on prescriptive rights. A portion of this land can be used to construct these low income duplexes that can be sold to these young professionals with certain conditions. The construction of these homes would take place under the supervision of the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation.

First preference would be given to those three professions and they must be between the ages of 22 to 40 years. Secondly, it must be their first home and it can’t be sold within the first five years.
In the event of a sale or a default in their mortgage first preference would be given to the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation to purchase the home. This is to avoid the property being used for speculative purposes and that another young person within the professions mentioned before would be given an opportunity to buy this home.

It is time that we pursue very vigorously the attraction of our young people to these professions by providing them with some additional incentives. St. Maarten needs you, become a teacher, a police officer or a nurse.

We would want to implore you to take up contact with your colleague the Minister of Vromi to discuss this plan further when they set up the sub-division plan for the property acquired in the vicinity of the Vineyard Estate.

We are hereby enclosing copies of the deed and the certificate of admeasurement of the property acquired in prescriptive rights in the vicinity of the Vineyard Estate.

Yours truly,
One St. Maarten People Party

Lenny F. Priest
Leader of the OSPP

cc: Parliament of St. Maarten
Ministry of VROMI
St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation

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