Santos: Why does Saipan collect Rota poker payments?

Sen. Teresita A. Santos (Ind-Rota) has expressed concern as to why payments for new or renewed poker units on Rota are being collected on Saipan.

Santos said these payments made by the poker operators on Rota should be deposited into a designated business unit account assigned for appropriation by the Rota Legislative Delegation.

The senator visited the Office of Revenue and Taxation on Saipan yesterday morning to follow up on the matter and said she was informed that a review of the Rev&Tax records of payment has been conducted and forwarded to Finance Secretary David DLG Atalig.

“I’m still waiting for the findings of the report or a response from the Secretary of Finance as of today,” she said.

In a recent letter to Atalig, the senator said she hopes that such payments are not erroneously deposited into the business unit account appropriated by the Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation since the payments are collected on Saipan. Santos requested Atalig for detailed report of all poker fee collection from January through December 2020. The senator also asked Atalig for the total number of poker units that have been paid to operate on Rota on a monthly basis from January through December 2020 and total monies collected on a monthly basis for these units, if any.

Teresita A. Santos

She said she just recently learned about this collection on Saipan from a Rota staff of Rev&Tax.

She pointed out that all funds collected from poker establishments on Rota are categorized as local funds for the First Senatorial District (Rota).

“As such, upon certification of the availability of these funds by your office, it is under the legislative authority of the Rota Legislative Delegation to appropriate such funds for the benefit of the people on Rota,” Santos told Atalig in the letter.

The senator said that, with the limited source of revenue, every cent counts in identifying critical funding for the safety and wellbeing of the Rota community during these trying times.

Therefore, Santos said, it is critical that all funds paid with the intent of conducting business on Rota, although paid on Saipan, should be properly deposited into the assigned business unit account for appropriation by the Rota Legislative Delegation.