Previous Story
DOF still settling arrears
The Department of Finance continues to tend to its fiscal obligations, some of which are carried over from fiscal year 2019, according to Finance Secretary David Atalig.
Atalig told Saipan Tribune in an interview over the weekend that his department continues to settle delayed obligations from fiscal year 2019 that spilled over to fiscal year 2020, including monies owed to the Marianas Visitors Authority, the Settlement Fund, the Northern Marianas College, and the Public School System, among others.
“…We went through a tough year. We are slowly coming out of it and we are hopeful that, with things coming into place…that [we will get] some more income coming in terms of taxes into the government coffers,” he said.
He noted that the CNMI’s current situation is looking good, with a 53-room hotel in Chalan Kanoa that opened last week (Surfrider Hotel) and a new airline (Skymark Airlines Inc.) serving one of the top CNMI tourism markets this week.
“That’s promising. So, we are looking hopeful that some of these activities will help us meet our total obligations or our total projected revenue [for the fiscal year],” he said.
Atalig noted that his department owes MVA around $4 million to $5 million in terms of hotel occupancy taxes; NMC is owed an estimated $2 million, according to a previous interview; and the PSS is owed about $745,000 after the passage of Saipan Local Law 21-10.
Atalig said he also has obligations to the CNMI Settlement Fund for annual contributions of 17% of the government’s total annual revenue after deducting the minimum annual payment and Super Typhoon Yutu vendor invoices covered by the central government as well as other operational costs.
