Citing the lack of information about how much the Federal Emergency Management Agency owes the CNMI in reimbursements, Rep. Edwin Propst (Ind-Saipan) said the people are only getting a snapshot from the Torres-Palacios administration.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe still don\u2019t know how much FEMA owes us in reimbursements,\u201d said Propst when asked for comments Wednesday about the administration\u2019s austerity measures that will implement a 64-hour work schedule for government employees.<\/p>\n
The lawmaker said he has already asked the administration how much has FEMA reimbursed the CNMI so far since Super Typhoon Yutu hit the CNMI in October 2018 and how much does FEMA still owes the Commonwealth in reimbursements to date. <\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t found the answers. I am still waiting for the answers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Propst said his frustration is that the administration needs to take that FEMA reimbursement into consideration. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we are looking at all numbers and coming up with this report, we need to see everything. But we are only getting a snapshot. That is basically my frustration,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
During last Wednesday\u2019s debate on House Bill 21-104 to eliminate the 30-day grace period for importers to pay the excise tax on good that require Customs inspection and clearance, Propst pointed out that the government is pushing for the elimination of the grace period \u201cbecause it is important to collect right now.\u201d Yet if everybody is looking at collecting, why aren\u2019t we looking at the elephant in the room?\u201d asked Propst, referring to the Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC, which he said is the biggest corporation that owes the government the most money.<\/p>\n
He said it\u2019s great that IPI had already paid, but they still owe the Commonwealth government more money. \u201cIf we really want to make things better, and if we are going to go after small businesses to collect from them and every other businesses in the CNMI, why isn\u2019t this administration, why aren\u2019t our elected officials and agencies going after IPI to ensure they pay what they duly owe the Commonwealth?\u201d Propst asked.<\/p>\n
He said if the government does collect even one third of what IPI owes the CNMI right now, that would put the government in much better position financially.<\/p>\n
Propst said the 64-hour cut that people are seeing right now can\u2019t be blamed entirely on Super Typhoon Yutu and the coronavirus outbreak as there are other factors. He said the CNMI government has had a deficit for three straight years. Even before Yutu came, the government had an $8 million deficit in fiscal year 2017 and almost a $26 million deficit in fiscal year 2018. For fiscal year 2019, the numbers kept changing, Propst said. First, the administration reported it was a $98 million deficit and then they said it was $88 million. <\/p>\n
Propst said the administration is now readjusting the number.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegardless, whatever the number is, we are still in deficit,\u201d he pointed out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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