TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Service Charge or Tip

There is not a 10% government tax. The 15% is service. Period.

As Georgia stated, the 15%/10% is NOT a government tax. There is (or at least there used to be) a Turn Over Tax (TOT) of 5% but businesses are NOT supposed to add it as a separate line item. Somewhere I have a copy of the SXM TOT document but can't locate it right now but I will provide a link that addresses some of the taxes on SXM.

I have found it best NOT to ask as you open yourself up to being misled, confused and often duped into tipping more than you would otherwise. I have found in over 30+years of visiting, it is best NOT to ask. Honestly, I have only found ONE restaurant owner to be honest about this and he no longer owns the restaurant.

TAX LINK

No, that is an absolute LIE. There is no government tax on the Dutch side that is supposed to be passed on to the consumer. The Dutch side DOES have turnover tax, which is 5%, by the way. But the rules state that TOT is not supposed to be added on as a surcharge on the bill to the consumer. We had a similar situation at Astra. Wonderful meal, and then the server claimed that the 15% on the bill did not go to the server at all, and wanted us to add more. We declined.

Thanks JD and GoKaye for the answer. In the future I will pay the bill with the SC and if the service is good I'll add an additional amount as we normally tip 20%. Good to know for our next trip in 3 months.

That is the way to do it.

I concur with what JD and Carol stated. There is a TOT tax of 5% but that is for the restaurant to pay and not the patron and can't be added to the final bill. If they do, like Jimbo's used to do, it's a scam and I call them on it.

I don't bother to call them on it since it won't change anything. I consider it a gratuity and add a bit only if it is appropriate to the service rendered....

Our server told us the same thing!
It took us so long to find him, our missing bread with that delicious spread, and the complimentary drink at the end, that I did speak up and say there is no tax.

We will still return, since we both enjoyed our dinners.
These were kind of minor issues.

This is what is on the bottom of the menu at Roma, the new Italian restaurant, that will be in the new complex where Cheries was.
“We do not charge for gratuity as we believe our customers should be free to reward great service at their own discretion”
I wish more establishments had this policy.

I believe most who are not of European descent will likely tip more generously this way than if a service charge (and being misled about such) was added.

True that, JD. I’ve long felt the restaurants did their staff a huge disservice by doing things the way they do but not my island - not my problem. If they include it on the check that’s what the staff is getting. Unless, of course, the service is exceptional and then we quietly slip the server a little something extra for his/her efforts. 🙂🙂

If a restaurant dares to add the 15%, it is the tip so just go with it and add nothing more. If they didn't add it, most people would add a 20% tip rather than the 15% they added. Their loss. Some day they might figure it out!

SHARON!!! Good to see you back on TTOL!! Just wanted to say THANK YOU for all that you've done for us over the years with all your connections!! We'll talk again about "RP"!!!

Folks, don't forget the fact that most of the world outside of the US does NOT tip. Breaks my heart to see people spending over $100 and giving no tip at all. ANd we see it nearly every time we go out. That's the reason the restaurants do that. I don't like it either

Tipping on the French side I usually do 10%, as I would in Europe (and it is). The 15% added gratuity makes it more of leftover change type of tip.

The French side is a different situation entirely, as service is included in the price of the meal, and never added as a separate line item. We generally leave a small tip in cash unless the service was terrible, which we've honestly never encountered on the French side.

Correct but many times when one asks about the "tip" on the French side, they are told it is not included. In reality the "tip" is not included but the service charge is and some are not aware of that and will leave an additional 20% or more.

As usual, don't ask.

We just spent a tad over two weeks in the Dordogne Valley town of Sarlat in France and I was amazed that it is common practice for EVERYONE at a restaurant to either leave nothing for a tip or just some change. It took a bit to get used to this but we did....it just felt weird

Many other countries tip for service and Canada is one of them. In spite of the fact our service industry is well paid, we still tip 20% and beyond for good service. Businesses must remember what tipping is all about. Tips are for exceptional service and it is up to the client to make that decision.Emplorers must pay their employees a good living wage and they should not depend on their tips for that. Automatically putting a tip on the bill is in very bad taste and shows their lack of professionalism.Then they lie about it which is even worse. I understand that the servers are not paid well especially on the Dutch side of the island, but those in authority need to change that if they want to retain their tourist business. Thankfully the FRENCH government treats their employees fairly and they don't have to depend on tips to survive.

Yep.