Timeshare Authority: Why It Needs to Be Derailed

The following article appears in the Monday 5/1 edition of SXM Weekly News. Unfortunately, its last
paragraph was unintentionally omitted during the editing process. That paragraph is in the version that
appears below:
Government Gives Timeshare Sector 90 Days to React to "Timeshare Authority";
How To Help Derail The Timeshare Authority, An Expensive Bureaucracy You'd Pay For

In recent weeks, we reported multiple times that timeshare owners in St. Maarten may be in for a rude awakening when they return to the island since the government wants to establish a Timeshare Authority — an expensive new bureaucracy — to oversee and administer its new timeshare owner consumer protection legislation. Both of these pieces of legislation are being considered by Parliament now.

Although we believe that the timeshare consumer protection legislation is a good first step toward what timeshare owners expect in the way of protection legislation from the Dutch Side government, we reported that the Timeshare Authority, in our opinion, is a vast overreach which will be expensive and unnecessary. We know that there are alternatives to it which can be equally effective at a far, far lower cost.

According to one estimate we've seen, the Timeshare Authority could cost timeshare owners a projected $200 per timeshare week owned added to timeshare owners' Annual Maintenance Fees. We've seen full details of the proposal and we regard it as a ponderous behemoth where something far more streamlined would solve any issues much more quickly and, as we noted, at a tiny portion of the cost of the Authority.

The Dutch Side Parliament and top Dutch Side government leaders are reviewing the proposal and are giving the timeshare industry 90 days to offer feedback on the proposed Timeshare Authority legislation. We are delighted to note that there seems to be a groundswell of opposition to the Authority. We join that chorus of opposition: annual maintenance fees are high enough as it is, and the vast majority of resorts today are doing their jobs and doing them well. There can be a mechanism to solve disputes and ensure compliance with new laws that is far simpler, far cheaper, and far more effective than this ponderous, expensive proposed bureaucracy.

If you are timeshare owner, it is in your interests to write to both local newspapers now in opposition to this plan. The government must realize once again that timeshare owners — tens of thousands of them — are the single strongest pillar of the island economy and they are the people who have always supported the island regardless of what else is going on. They need to be treated with respect and care, not burdened with another big weekly expense which -- added to high airfares and the high cost of SXM in general -- could wind up costing the island's economy serious, irreparable harm.
To send a letter to the editor to the Daily Herald: SXM - Daily Herald Letters Page editorial@thedailyherald.com . To write to the Today newspaper: Hilbert Haar todaymanagersxm25@gmail.com .

I attempted to email the following to the Daily Herald at the email as shown and it was returned so here goes - I hope!!

The need for this legislation is long past due and everyone knows it but as a reasonably happy timeshare owner here on the island, I thoroughly resent the idea of the government turning it into one more cash cow opportunity to enhance their coffers.

At $200.00 per week per owner, times all the many timeshare units on St. Maarten, that's a heck of a lot of monies to be squandered and with no assurance of any protections beyond those of the government getting more than it's fair share.

Personally speaking, I see this as one more nail in the coffin of an already failing island entity, and if enacted, I hope the government is shovel-ready to bury time sharing on St. Maarten once and for all. This could well be the straw that breaks the back of the already over burdened timeshare owners given the high AMFs, escalating airfares, departure fees and taxes and the list goes on ad nauseam.

Most respectfully,

Patricia and John Denley


Sent from my iPad

Well stated. Seems the universal government solution to any problem is to throw more $$ at it, only to watch the problem continue to exist or worsen.

And that isn't limited to SXM, for sure! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

Good job, Pat!

Jeff--It does seem that many people think this timeshare authority is a bad idea. I posted a link to the Daily Herald story about this earlier this week, including a link to an editorial . According to that editorial, the weekly timeshare tax was only supposed to go up a few dollars, from $50 to around $56. I had heard that this thing was supposed to cost $200 for every week of t/s, but that wasn't mentioned in the DH story or the editorial. In fact, as I said, the editorial said the t/s tax was to go up only slightly. A few dollars increase is one thing, $200 a week is quite another. I would be interested to know what the true proposal is.

I submitted the following to both addresses provided:
We are timeshare owners that wish to voice our opposition to the recently proposed legislation that would create another government agency to oversee the timeshare industry in Sint Maarten/Saint Martin. While we agree that this important business requires controls and protection of timeshare owners, we see this specific action as a costly burden to those it is supposed to protect. Many timeshare owners have reached a point in their lives that limits their financial ability to afford the current maintenance fees they are required to pay in order to keep their timeshare holdings. The increased cost that would be passed onto timeshare owners to fund such a beaurocratic authority would result in many owners to discontinue their participation in the timeshare program.
Thank you,
Thomas and Elisabeth Green
Timeshare Owners @ Belair Beach Hotel

Not to chance the subject, but the departure tax is now $36. as it used to be $30 for many years.....

Correct. Not sure when it changed but I noticed it on my ticket purchased late last year for a trip earlier this year.

That is about the only disadvantage to having it built into the airfares. We don't generally pay too much attention and they can sneak those little increases by us without too much fuss. But it's okay as long as we don't ever go back to that departure tax window nonsense.

Our first trip was in 1973 and the departure fee then was only $2.00 per person. We've come a long way, baby...... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

The fees charged by St Maarten when exiting the island are now 3 separate amounts totaling $52.41 .

There is a "Passenger Screening Fee" = $10.91
An "Airport Improvement Fee" = $5.50 (this is the most recent fee, new in 2017)
And the "Airport Departure Tax" = $36.00

They charge no fees to US Airline passengers on your arrival ticket.

That goes to the airport, since it pays its own bills...including buying fire engines etc. It does not go to the govt. Beyond bizarre.

Also, everyone pays "taxes" on everything shipped in to the island, which is why everything is so expensive. That is how they're paying for the causeway...

I'm sorry but no one pays any taxes on things shipped to the island and that's why everything is much cheaper here than others islands. I have a business here and import things all the time and there is absolutely no tax on what we ship into St. Martin. Shipping adds to the cost of most things but there is no tax or duty.

Sorry, that comment should have specified all freight coming through the port.