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  • Warriors win 4th in a row at Loloy youth basketball

    Warriors win 4th in a row at Loloy youth basketball

    After five days of high-energy, skill-driven competition between top youth basketball squads from across the Caribbean, the fifth annual Aloysius “Loloy” Daniel Youth Basketball Tournament concluded Friday at Beausejour Gymnasium, capping off a week of standout athletic play from emerging young talent. Trinidad & Tobago’s New Chapter Academy (NCA) Warriors cemented their status as the region’s dominant youth program, wrapping up an undefeated tournament run to claim their fourth consecutive championship title in decisive fashion. The Warriors delivered a lopsided 120-50 win over host side East Coast Academy (ECA) Lions, who claimed third place in the final tournament rankings.

    From the opening tipoff, the Trinbagonian squad showcased elite defensive intensity and unselfish team play that defined their campaign throughout the week, finishing the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record. Tournament Most Valuable Player Josiah John-Andrew led the squad’s aggressive swarming defense and sparked high-efficiency fast breaks that put the game out of reach for the host Lions in the first half, setting the tone for the championship blowout.

    In other final-day matchups, Antigua & Barbuda’s Pitbulls locked up the second spot on the podium with a commanding 133-27 victory over Saint Lucia’s Basketball For The Future (BFTF) Pitbulls. Guyana’s D-Up Academy closed their tournament campaign on a high note, defeating winless ECA Tigers 71-44 to secure fourth place in the overall final standings.

    Following the conclusion of final games, the tournament announced its official All-Tournament Best Starting Five lineup, headlined by MVP Josiah John-Andrew who claimed the point guard spot. John-Andrew was joined on the elite roster by his NCA Warriors teammate Rannan Howard, who took the center position. ECA Lions standout Nyel Joseph earned the shooting guard slot, while Antigua & Barbuda’s dynamic forward pair Jayden Lewis and Yohhan Nicholas rounded out the starting five as small forward and power forward respectively.

  • Borger Breeveld geëerd met muziek, herinneringen en ‘Wan Pipel’

    Borger Breeveld geëerd met muziek, herinneringen en ‘Wan Pipel’

    On a Monday evening in Paramaribo, Suriname, hundreds of people from across the country gathered to honor the extraordinary life and enduring cultural legacy of iconic Surinamese actor, filmmaker and media personality Borger Breeveld, who passed away earlier this month at the age of 82.

    Organized jointly by Breeveld’s family and the Office of the President of Suriname, the event, titled *Celebrate Borger*, centered not on mourning his loss, but on celebrating his unparalleled contributions to Suriname’s cultural identity and national life. The tribute opened at the Paramaribo Congress Hall, where guests ranging from immediate family and close friends to fellow artists, senior government officials and ordinary admirers gathered to share personal recollections and professional reflections, before moving to Independence Square for a communal screening of *Wan Pipel*—the 1970s classic film that cemented Breeveld’s place in Suriname’s cultural history.

    Breeveld died on August 10 in the Netherlands, where he was cremated three days later. In keeping with his final wishes, his ashes were transported back to his home country of Suriname for the tribute. During the Congress Hall portion of the event, attendees were invited to file past the urn holding his ashes and pay their respects, concluding the moment with a long, standing applause to honor his memory.

    Speakers throughout the evening offered intimate, varied perspectives on the man behind the public persona. His brother Hans Breeveld shared personal anecdotes from their shared childhood and adult lives, while media commentator Clif Limburg highlighted Breeveld’s far-reaching impact on Suriname’s media and communications landscape. Enver Panka reflected on the profound personal influence Breeveld had on his own career and growth, while his daughter Romy-Angele Breeveld described her father as a multi-talented, warm, playful and constantly surprising person, thanking the Surinamese public for the outpouring of support extended to the family following his passing.

    Live music, a core part of Breeveld’s life and work, formed a centerpiece of the tribute. Aisha Breeveld performed Bob Marley’s *Three Little Birds*—a song she recalled singing together with her father on countless occasions. Additional performances came from Hans Breeveld, Carl Breeveld, Nisha Madaran and Bryan Muntslag, weaving personal and cultural connection through the evening’s program.

    Suriname President Jennifer Simons joined the tribute, alongside senior cabinet members including Education, Science and Culture Minister Dirk Currie and Transport, Communication and Tourism Minister Raymond Landveld. In her remarks, Simons emphasized the inseparable tie between Breeveld and the cultural soul of Suriname, noting his name is “inextricably linked to the soul of Suriname.”

    Breeveld first rose to national prominence as an actor in the 1970s, when his lead role in *Wan Pipel* turned him into a household name across the country. He went on to appear in another landmark Surinamese production, *Kon Esi Baka*, but his contributions extended far beyond the screen. A skilled communications specialist, he spent decades working in media, and dedicated much of his later career to mentoring and supporting young emerging artists and creatives across Suriname.

    Simons remembered Breeveld as an approachable, sharp-minded public figure who held uncompromising standards for craftsmanship and perfectionism. She also highlighted his enduring joy for life and remarkable ability to retain his energy and optimism even through challenging circumstances, noting “For me, he is someone who stayed forever young.”

    After the conclusion of the Congress Hall program, attendees moved as a group to Independence Square for the final segment of the tribute: a free open-air communal screening of *Wan Pipel*, the film that forever tied Breeveld to one of the most important chapters in modern Surinamese cultural history. Attendees were invited to light small candles in Breeveld’s memory during the screening.

    Event organizers expressed satisfaction with how the tribute unfolded, noting the evening stayed true to its core mission: it was not merely a farewell to one of Suriname’s most beloved public figures, but a joyous, collective celebration of a life well-lived, a groundbreaking body of work, and a cultural legacy that will shape Suriname for generations to come.

  • Barbados women qualify for 2027 Pan American Games

    Barbados women qualify for 2027 Pan American Games

    Fresh off a stunning gold medal run at the recently concluded CAC Games in the Dominican Republic, Barbados’ elite women’s squash team has etched its name into the history books, locking in a qualifying spot for the 2027 Pan American Games after a standout fifth-place finish at the 27th Pan-American Senior Squash Championships in Asuncion, Paraguay. The team capped off their impressive tournament campaign with a decisive 2-0 win over Ecuador on the final Saturday, a result that pushed them into the top 11 of the overall standings — easily meeting the minimum qualifying threshold for the next iteration of the continental games. The opening tie of the clash against Ecuador fell to Meagan Best, the CAC Games women’s singles silver medalist, who fought through a four-set battle against Maria Buenano to claim a 11-4, 11-5, 9-11, 11-1 victory. Remarkably, Best wrapped up the entire team event without dropping a single match, a testament to her unrelenting form throughout the championships. Next up was Margot Prow, the CAC Games women’s singles gold medalist, who faced off against Ecuador’s top-ranked player Maria Moya. After dropping the opening set in a lopsided 5-11 result, Prow dug in deep and reeled off three consecutive set wins to seal the overall tie victory for Barbados, with a final scoreline of 5-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8. With Barbados holding an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the tie, the scheduled third match between Eboni Atherley and her Ecuadorian opponent was canceled before it began. This qualification adds to a growing legacy of success for Barbados’ women’s squash program: at the 2023 Pan American Games hosted in Santiago, Chile, the same women’s squad brought home two bronze medals for the nation, marking one of the country’s strongest squash performances at a major continental event to date. It was not just the women who ended the championships on a high note, either. Barbados’ men’s team capped off their run by defeating Guyana 2-1 to claim the plate final title, finishing 13th overall in a field of top regional squads. The men’s tie got off to a strong start for Barbados, with second-ranked Darien Benn delivering a convincing straight-set win over Alex Arjoon. Benn controlled the entirety of the match, wrapping up a 11-7, 11-4, 11-3 victory that put Barbados ahead early. The momentum shifted in the second match, however, when Khamal Cumberbatch, Barbados’ top player and three-time reigning Caribbean champion, suffered a surprising upset at the hands of Guyana’s Daniel Ince. Ince claimed a four-set win 11-7, 7-11, 2-11, 7-11, pulling the tie level at one match apiece and setting up a decisive final encounter. In the deciding match, veteran Barbadian player Shawn Simpson leveraged decades of on-court experience to outlast his much younger Guyanese opponent Nicholas Verwey, securing a five-set win 5-11, 11-7, 12-10, 8-11, 11-3. Notably, Simpson made his senior national team debut back in 2001 — years before his 20-year-old opponent was even born. Following the conclusion of the tournament, Don Benn, team manager for the Barbadian squad, shared his enthusiasm for the results achieved by both teams. He praised the dedication and effort of all eight competing athletes, while also crediting head coach Wael El Batran for his strategic guidance and positive impact on the squad’s performance. Benn also highlighted a key milestone from the event: both the men’s and women’s teams finished the team competition with overall winning records, a reflection of the depth of talent and preparation across the entire Barbadian delegation.

  • Calls Grow for More Traditional Mas at Antigua Carnival Despite Weak Costume Sales

    Calls Grow for More Traditional Mas at Antigua Carnival Despite Weak Costume Sales

    As Antigua and Barbuda prepares to mark the 70th anniversary of its iconic Carnival in 2027, Prime Minister Gaston Browne has reignited a long-running debate over cultural preservation by calling for a greater, more visible presence of traditional mas (masquerade) alongside the event’s dominant modern, bikini-centric costume format.\n\nBrowne laid out his vision during an appearance on the local *Browne and Browne Show*, drawing on a recent cultural experience in neighboring Barbados to make his case. “I saw some traditional mas in Barbados,” Browne noted. “If we can get a little of that. Everything can’t be just about having a little bikini.”\n\nThe prime minister emphasized that his goal is not to displace modern Carnival traditions, but to keep a core piece of Antigua and Barbuda’s cultural heritage alive for current and future generations. To achieve this, he proposed carving out dedicated space for traditional mas: either during the Carnival opening ceremony, or on a separate designated day, where programming can focus on classic cultural characters, handcrafted floats, and family-friendly traditional presentations. Browne specifically called for the return of iconic figures like John Bull, a staple of historic Caribbean mas parades, saying “Let our people feel that traditional mas.”\n\nHowever, festival officials with the Antigua and Barbuda Festivals Commission are pushing back on the proposal, pointing to past attempts to expand traditional mas that failed to generate public participation, even amid repeated public calls for more cultural representation.\n\nCalbert Francis, a commission board member and leader of the popular Sections mas band, shared a firsthand example of this gap between public demand and actual participation. When his band launched, it included an all-traditional costume section designed by celebrated local Antiguan designer Calvin Southwell – yet fewer than 10 of the handcrafted costumes were sold to masqueraders.\n\nFrancis explained that the experience exposed a core challenge of integrating traditional mas into modern Carnival programming: while crowds enjoy watching traditional characters, most paying participants prefer to take part in contemporary, modern costume sections. “There may not be an appetite for people to play in traditional-looking costumes, but they do have the appetite to see the traditional Carnival characters,” Francis said.\n\nCurrently, festival organizers already integrate traditional mas into annual parades: cultural groups in partnership with the Department of Culture regularly field classic characters including John Bulls, stilt walkers, and traditional dancers early in the parade route, ahead of the larger modern party bands. But officials note that many spectators arrive late for the main event, miss the early traditional segments, and later complain that classic mas is underrepresented.\n\nLooking ahead to the milestone 70th anniversary celebrations in 2027, the Festivals Commission says it will continue exploring viable strategies to strike a balance between preserving Antigua and Barbuda’s cherished Carnival heritage and accommodating the preferences of paying masqueraders and international visitors that drive the modern event.

  • Antigua and Barbuda Considers Attaching Housing Maintenance Fees to Utility Bills

    Antigua and Barbuda Considers Attaching Housing Maintenance Fees to Utility Bills

    Facing a long-running problem of unpaid maintenance charges for public housing infrastructure, the government of Antigua and Barbuda is advancing a new policy proposal that would link mandatory upkeep fees directly to residents’ monthly utility bills. This solution is being crafted to address consistent nonpayment that has left critical shared systems, from communal sewer lines to public facility grounds, under-maintained across existing government housing developments.

    Prime Minister Gaston Browne outlined the plan during an appearance on the local Browne and Browne Show, explaining that the idea emerged during discussions about management protocols for the upcoming 150-unit Pelican Court housing project, one of the nation’s largest new public housing developments in recent years. Browne noted that while the government has already established homeowners’ associations to handle maintenance coordination at many existing public housing sites, voluntary and inconsistent fee payments have derailed these efforts. In developments that rely on shared sewage infrastructure, the lack of consistent funding has created serious challenges for keeping the critical system operational and well-maintained.

    “For some reason, the individuals would not pay the homeowners’ fee, the management fee, to maintain the sewage system,” Browne told listeners. To resolve this gap, the administration is exploring integrating the small monthly maintenance charge — which Browne suggested could start as low as $20 per month — into existing utility billing cycles. This structural change would create a far more reliable collection system for authorities, ensuring a steady stream of funding allocated exclusively to ongoing infrastructure upkeep.

    For the new Pelican Court development, the government is putting in place additional permanent management structures, including on-site property managers and a dedicated administrative office to handle resident needs and maintenance coordination. Officials are also drafting formal rules outlining clear resident responsibilities for garbage disposal, individual property maintenance, and other communal living standards. At this stage, Browne has not released details on a potential timeline for implementing the utility-linked fee policy, nor has he confirmed whether the change would apply exclusively to Pelican Court or be rolled out to all public housing developments across Antigua and Barbuda.

  • Private/Public Sector Initiative patches potholes along South Coast

    Private/Public Sector Initiative patches potholes along South Coast

    Motorists traveling along Barbados’ South Coast are already benefiting from improved road conditions, after a private insurance firm stepped in to address a persistent public safety hazard through a targeted community initiative.

    Trident Insurance, a subsidiary of the ANSA McAL Group of Companies, has teamed up with the Barbados Ministry of Transport and Works to repair dozens of damaged potholes along the heavily traveled Highway 7 corridor. The work forms the centerpiece of the insurer’s ongoing corporate Road Safety programme, which launched earlier this month with an initial project to refresh faded crosswalk paint across high-traffic areas of the island’s south.

    The second phase of the programme kicked off on Sunday, when maintenance crews moved in to clear and resurface potholes along the stretch of Highway 7 running from the popular tourist hub St Lawrence Gap through to Bay Street. The overarching mission of the collaborative effort is to elevate road safety for all users across Barbados, protecting both people behind the wheel and pedestrians sharing the island’s road network.

    Tawania Hinds-Elcock, Marketing and External Affairs Manager for ANSA McAl, shared details on the project’s next steps in a public statement. She confirmed that the final phase of repairs for the South Coast segment is scheduled for Sunday, August 30, when crews will tackle the remaining stretches of Highway 7 still in need of maintenance. Hinds-Elcock urged motorists planning to use the route on that date to exercise extra caution and adhere to all posted temporary traffic control signs throughout the work zone.

    Beyond the immediate infrastructure improvements, Hinds-Elcock emphasized that the hands-on community project directly reflects the core values that guide Trident Insurance and its parent company. She noted that as part of the ANSA McAL Group, the organization remains deeply committed to driving tangible positive change, explaining that the group pursues this mission by “inspiring better choices for a better world through practical, community-focused action.”

  • New Antigua and Barbuda Sickle Cell Unit Treats Five Patients Without Hospital Admission in One Day

    New Antigua and Barbuda Sickle Cell Unit Treats Five Patients Without Hospital Admission in One Day

    Antigua and Barbuda’s newly launched specialized Sickle Cell Unit has notched a major milestone in its very first week of operations, with five people living with sickle cell disease completing treatment and returning home the same day they arrived. The facility, which officially opened its doors this Monday at the site of the former Holberton Hospital compound, is already delivering on its promise to transform care for local sickle cell patients, according to Health Minister Michael Joseph.

    Speaking on the local Browne and Browne Show, Joseph detailed the unit’s first successful cases: all five patients accessed the facility for care on Wednesday, received full outpatient daytime treatment, and were cleared to leave by 5 p.m. None required an overnight stay at the main public tertiary facility, Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, a shift that marks a stark departure from how these cases were handled previously.

    Before the dedicated unit opened, any sickle cell patient experiencing a crisis had no option but to seek care through Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre’s emergency department. Joseph noted that the emergency department’s cold air conditioning often worsened patients’ symptoms, triggering more severe sickle cell crises before treatment could even begin. By the time clinicians started intervention, many patients’ conditions had already deteriorated enough to require mandatory hospitalization.

    For patients, this often meant two to three weeks of inpatient care, a strain that extended beyond individual suffering to the broader public health system. With just 190 beds available across Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, extended stays for sickle cell care added significant pressure to an already overstretched facility, worsening emergency department congestion and leaving fewer beds available for other patients needing urgent care.

    The new specialized unit is a core component of the government’s broader public health strategy designed to cut emergency department overcrowding, free up critical inpatient bed space, and dramatically improve quality of life for people living with sickle cell disease. Joseph explained that the dedicated facility allows patients to receive prompt, targeted care without unnecessary hospitalization, getting them back to daily function far faster than the old care model.

    What makes this launch particularly notable is that plans for a dedicated sickle cell unit have been in discussion for nearly 15 years. The proposal finally moved forward after government officials held productive consultations with sickle cell patients and leading local medical professionals, including Dr. Edda Hadeed and Dr. Belle Jarvis, who pushed for the specialized care space.

    Joseph also highlighted that the need for a dedicated unit has grown more urgent in recent years due to shifting environmental conditions. Changing weather patterns, annual influxes of Saharan dust, sulfur released from sargassum seaweed blooms, and more frequent temperature extremes have all contributed to a steady rise in emergency department visits from sickle cell patients experiencing exacerbated symptoms, making the new facility a timely addition to the country’s public health infrastructure.

  • Repeat offender jailed for supermarket theft

    Repeat offender jailed for supermarket theft

    A 59-year-old Barbadian man with a decades-long history of theft-related convictions has been handed another 18-month prison term, just months after completing a similar sentence for larceny. Troy Ryan Oneal Jordan, a resident of Vauxhall in Christ Church, entered a guilty plea this week at District ‘A’ Magistrates Court No. 2 to three counts of shoplifting stemming from an August 22 incident at the popular BJ’s Value Market location on Spooner’s Hill. Prosecutor Sergeant Kenmore Phillips detailed the sequence of events for the court, explaining that the alleged theft unfolded shortly after 9:30 a.m. that Saturday when Jordan entered the self-service grocery outlet. Surveillance and on-duty security staff, who already recognized Jordan from prior interactions, monitored his movements through the store after he made a beeline for the frozen meat section. According to Phillips’ account, Jordan placed a $104.78 pre-packaged ham directly into his personal backpack, before adding two $23.85 deodorants and a bottle of perfume valued at $12.45 to the concealed stash. Once Jordan passed all checkout points and approached the store’s main exit, the on-duty security officer moved in to intercept him. A search of his backpack immediately uncovered all four unreported items, leading to his arrest and subsequent court appearance. Speaking in his own defense during the hearing, Jordan told Magistrate Manila Renee that he had a change of heart mid-theft, claiming he was on his way back to return the concealed items when security stopped him. “I was stealing them but when I get to the front I tell myself, ‘Ya see this here? This is foolishness that I doing,’ and I was going to put dem back but I get hold before I could,” he told the court. Magistrate Renie, who originally sentenced Jordan to 18 months in prison on a separate theft charge last year, expressed frustration at the repeat offense, noting Jordan had only just been released from custody before committing the new shoplifting. “You are not learning. You were last here just last year and I gave you 18 months for something similar and you just got out of prison and back here again,” Renee said. The magistrate also pointed out that the vast majority of Jordan’s 39 prior criminal convictions are related to violations of the national Theft Act. Despite the pattern of repeated offending, Renee granted Jordan a sentencing discount for entering an early guilty plea that spared the court from spending additional time on proceedings. “You pleaded guilty at the earliest possible time and did not waste the court’s time and therefore I will give you 18 months even though you should be getting more time because as soon you got out you are back in trouble,” Renee ruled, handing down the new custodial sentence.

  • Lions Club of St Andrew celebrates 55 years of service and impact

    Lions Club of St Andrew celebrates 55 years of service and impact

    Fifty-five years after it first received its official charter, the Lions Club of St Andrew in Grenada is marking a historic milestone of sustained volunteerism, celebrating five decades of dedicated service that has lifted up vulnerable communities and changed lives across the Caribbean.

    Founded on August 25, 1971, under the direction of founding leader Jerome Penny, the organization has cultivated a far-reaching legacy of community-centered action, adapting its work to meet evolving local and regional needs while upholding the global Lions Clubs mission of service. This year’s anniversary is marked by the theme “A Legacy of Service: Celebrating 55 Years of Impact”, a nod to the thousands of hours of volunteer work and hundreds of initiatives the club has carried out since its founding.

    Over its 55-year history, the club has stepped in to respond to some of the region’s most devastating crises. When Hurricane Ivan tore through Grenada, the organization led efforts to rebuild damaged schools and destroyed family homes. After Hurricane Beryl impacted Carriacou, it coordinated rapid delivery of critical relief supplies to displaced residents. It also extended support to neighboring Caribbean nations facing disaster, providing aid to communities affected by the 2021 volcanic eruption in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and widespread flooding in Dominica. Beyond large-scale disaster response, the club has consistently provided targeted support to vulnerable individual community members facing hardship.

    The club’s ongoing impact extends far beyond emergency response, covering a wide range of public health, environmental, education and social welfare initiatives. It has organized regular Sight First marches to expand access to vision care, provided free eyeglasses to low-income children, led regular coastal cleanups and large-scale tree-planting projects to protect Grenada’s natural ecosystems, distributed food hampers and hot meals to food-insecure households, supported young people entering agricultural careers, run public education campaigns for diabetes and breast cancer prevention, provided financial and practical support to families navigating childhood cancer diagnoses, and distributed free school supplies to students from low-income backgrounds.

    One of the club’s most enduring contributions to community development is the Leo Club of St Andrew, its youth-focused affiliate chartered 33 years ago. The Leo Club gives young Grenadians the chance to build leadership, teamwork and project management skills through hands-on community service, and many of its alumni have gone on to hold prominent leadership roles in both Grenada’s public and private sectors, creating a lasting ripple effect of positive impact.

    To mark its 55th anniversary, the club has planned a full week of new service initiatives that carry forward its mission. Planned activities include distributing free backpacks to local students, making a major donation to the Crochu Home for the Elderly, hosting its annual Secondary School Transition Workshop to support new high school students, and partnering with the St Andrew Leo Club to deliver a career planning and development program for young men. The club is also launching a new social media awareness campaign aligned with two of Lions Clubs International’s global priority causes: ending food insecurity and expanding diabetes education and access to care.

    In remarks marking the milestone, current club president Lion Gennesta Charles noted that the anniversary is both a time to reflect on past achievements and an opportunity to reaffirm the organization’s commitment to future service. “Fifty-five years of service. Fifty-five years of impact. And, with God’s grace, our legacy of service continues,” Charles said.

    The organization extended sincere gratitude to all past and current members, local businesses, partner nonprofits, community groups and individual supporters who have sustained its work over the past five and a half decades. As it celebrates this landmark achievement, the club is calling on members of the public to join its ongoing mission of service, whether by supporting its upcoming initiatives or applying for membership to contribute hands-on to community work.

    For 55 years, the Lions Club of St Andrew has answered the call to serve Grenada and its neighbors — and as it enters its 56th year, the organization remains as committed to its mission as it was on the day it received its charter.

  • DNA behandelt nieuwe Algemene Wet Belastingen met ruimere bevoegdheden fiscus

    DNA behandelt nieuwe Algemene Wet Belastingen met ruimere bevoegdheden fiscus

    On August 25, Suriname’s National Assembly began deliberations on a landmark overhaul of the country’s fragmented tax regulatory framework, a long-awaited reform aimed at streamlining administrative processes and resolving longstanding inconsistencies in the national tax system. The flagship piece of legislation, proposed as the new General Tax Law, seeks to unify procedural rules across nearly all major tax categories, covering everything from tax declaration filing and assessment procedures to audits, appeals, information disclosure requirements, and penalty enforcement.

    Currently, Suriname’s tax system operates under a patchwork of separate laws for each type of tax, each with its own unique rules for deadlines, filing forms, payment processes, inspector powers, appeal protocols, and cross-border legal cooperation. According to the government’s explanatory memorandum, this fragmented structure has created widespread confusion and unequal treatment for taxpayers, as inconsistent rules are applied across different tax types. The new General Tax Law is designed to eliminate these disparities by harmonizing all procedural regulations into a single, clear framework.

    Spanning 88 articles, the new legislation applies to all core taxes in Suriname, including income tax, wage tax, dividend tax, turnover tax, property tax, rental value tax, casino tax, and lottery tax. Importantly, the law does not adjust actual tax rates or change substantive tax obligations; it only standardizes the procedural mechanisms for tax assessment and collection, leaving substantive tax rules (such as liability, taxable bases, and rates) in place under existing individual tax laws.

    One of the most transformative changes included in the reform is the accelerated digitalization of all tax-related interactions between authorities and taxpayers. The law introduces a new national Fiscal Identification Number (FIN) for all taxpayers and withholding agents, and grants the director of the Suriname Tax Administration the authority to mandate that all official communication with the tax authority be conducted exclusively through digital channels. The Tax Administration is required to provide a secure, encrypted digital platform to support this transition.

    The reform also expands and clarifies information and record-keeping obligations for all taxpayers. Individuals and entities will be required to provide any data or details relevant to tax assessment upon request, while businesses must maintain organized financial records that clearly reflect their tax rights and obligations. Tax inspectors will also gain conditional access to private buildings and land to conduct on-site tax investigations, granting the Tax Administration broader and more clearly defined powers to gather information and verify compliance.

    In response to concerns about expanded regulatory powers, the government emphasizes that the reform also strengthens legal protections for taxpayers. It establishes uniform, standardized timelines and procedures for filing objections and appeals against tax assessments. Rulings from tax inspectors on objections can now be appealed directly to the Cantonal Court for tax matters, and the government’s memorandum explicitly acknowledges that expanded inspection powers must be paired with robust, accessible legal safeguards for taxpayers.

    A comprehensive new administrative penalty regime is also introduced, which creates a clear distinction between penalties for negligence (non-compliance fines) and penalties for intentional misconduct (wrongdoing fines). Wrongdoing fines apply in cases of fraud or gross negligence, and can reach up to 100% of the amount of tax that was underpaid as a result of the intentional misconduct. The law also includes separate criminal provisions for severe violations of tax obligations, to deter large-scale tax evasion.

    The reform also formalizes cross-border information exchange for tax purposes, enshrining the process in law for the first time. The Minister of Finance will be able to share taxpayer information with competent foreign tax authorities under predefined conditions, and allow foreign officials to observe tax investigations conducted on Surinamese territory. At the same time, the law outlines clear conditions under which requests for foreign information exchange can be rejected, protecting the interests of Surinamese taxpayers where appropriate.

    Under the reform’s transition provisions, existing regulatory decisions and arrangements will remain in force until new rules are formally adopted to replace them. In all transitional cases, the provision that is more favorable to the taxpayer will be applied, to avoid unnecessary disruptions or unfair treatment during the shift to the new framework. The final effective date of the new law will be set by a separate state decree after it is passed by the National Assembly.