Serge Mansur

The ATIA Board wishes all of the ATIA members as well as their employees, friends and families a very prosperous and successful 2007.

BBO

During the last months of 2006 the ATIA Board voiced its strong opposition to the introduction of the BBO law in Aruba. We felt that there are too many flaws in the law, and that its introduction would have the potential to do more harm than good to our community as a whole.

While we are still quite concerned about the effects of the BBO, our role has now changed. The law is a reality, and we must now try to mitigate any negative consequences of the law and ensure that the weight of compliance with the BBO is equitably distributed over the whole of our economy.

It is imperative that all sectors of our economy comply with their responsibilities instead of having the serious members of our business community subsidize those that might attempt to skirt the BBO tax.

We also feel that it is important that we make a concerted effort together with consumer-advocacy groups and the Government to educate the Aruban consumer about his/her responsibilities and rights.

The ATIA will also gather pertinent and useful information and provide this to our members. To this end we invite all members to let us know if you have any questions about how to comply with BBO.

National Dialogue

In a December radio interview, the Governor addressed what we consider to be two very important issues. The first of these is that Aruba’s public sector is bloated and overloaded with employees. The financial weight of this is much too much for our small island. We MUST find a way to streamline Government.

The other issue which we feel is of extreme importance is that our country desperately needs an institutionalized National Dialogue. Also on this issue we agree completely with the Governor. We feel that the only way to solve our country’s many problems is to have all sectors of our community contribute their concerns and their ideas to find solutions which take into account all of these concerns and ideas. It is only through healthy communication that well-balanced decisions can be taken by a Government.

The ATIA Board strongly urges our Government to allow this all-important process to begin this year. During the Governor’s New Year’s Reception we had some informal talks with different ministers, and we feel that the time is right to begin with the National Dialogue this year.

Ritz-Carlton

It has come to the attention of the ATIA Board that the Ritz-Carlton project will not continue.

The ATIA always had mixed feelings about this project. On the one hand the presence of such a prestigious hotel will add much to the image of a destination. On the other we are not convinced that he time is right to add another hotel on the West Coast strip.

For the ATIA the ideal scenario would have been to have the Ritz-Carlton take over (and upgrade) an existing property.

Recognizing the strong desire of this Government to realize the Ritz-Carlton project, we applaud the Government’s decision to stand firm on its position regarding the fiscal benefits to be granted to Ritz-Carlton. We realize that such decisions are never easy.

Annual Membership Meeting

We wish to remind all members that our Annual Membership Meeting will take place in March. Please start thinking about possible points to add to the agenda and/or candidates for a Board position.

ATIA

ATIA is Aruba’s largest NGO with well over 200 members which employ more than 14,000 Arubans. As such we strive to achieve a better socio-economic climate for all segments of our population.

Remember to visit us at: www.atiaruba.org