You said it: Readers' suggestions for solving V.I.'s financial crisis

Hotel tax and gross receipts tax and probably income tax on everyone that rents property under 90 days. The Internet is a wonderful resource to find out names and contact info on people that rent their condos and homes to vacationers and they do not charge the 10 percent hotel tax and I am sure they do not submit gross receipts and do not pay income tax on income earned in the V.I.

Check out VRBO.com or Homesaway.com, Craigslist or any others and you'll see. Huge source of revenue. Government could hire some web/computer-savvy, out-of-work people to sit in a room and collect information and then government can send out letters informing them of the requirement to pay (along with a business license fee), and if they don't the government can attach property. The people can be paid a percentage of what they collect so it costs the government nothing if nothing is collected.

At night, weekends, holidays all government offices need air conditioning off. Lights off.

Park all government cars except for necessary. Now. Not another gallon of gas used. The end.

Take action to get back the $6.3 million stolen by the Senate, force all government vehicles into retirement by executive order and make all employees other than emergency workers pay for their own transportation to work and their own food.

Stop all flying between islands, no staying at hotels and resorts and use teleconferencing. Insist that the Senate pay for its own caucuses that they just held, since they insist they were not doing public business, including the conference room they rented at Carambola for $950 per day and all the meals they enjoyed.

No personal drivers for anyone but the governor. Enact the law that says GERS persons pay their fair share into the system, so as not to overburden the government contribution. Reduce the size of the Senate and make those positions no salary, everyone keeps their normal job and works two nights a week, with one staff that is shared. Public service would take on a new meaning.

I think that the government should talk with HOVENSA and see about using their port area to make it for cruise ships and build a quick village, like they have done on other islands, and market the port and spaces to stores locally first then off-island to big businesses.

We have to get rid of our high port taxes and fees if we want to compete with other islands.

We also have to do the roads on St. Croix with a company that uses something that lasts more than three months.

I also think we should see about being able to use, lease or buy HOVENSA's housing for local use. I think that our government has to be reduced, salaries cut and budgets and expenses approved. We should definitely get into agriculture, and last: We need the feds down here. I don't think we are able to do the best for the V.I. because we have to many chiefs and not enough indians.

We should have an economic summit to analyze the territory's financial and economic data and develop an economic forecast.

There is a way out of this economic crisis and into a booming economy: Legalize, regulate and tax the growth and sale of marijuana.  Use the European model of Amsterdam. 

Marijuana must be grown in the USVI. Agriculture will flourish. The growth is taxed and regulated.  The land is taxed at a higher rate. This would bring agriculture back to St. Croix. Taxes are also generated by business licenses for wholesalers and retailers and a tax on retail marijuana sales. 

The Virgin Islands would produce extremely high-end certified organic marijuana products. Wealthy tourists from all over the world would seek out the Virgin Islands for a unique experience. New jobs would be created in the private sector. Crime would decrease, as people would have the means for legitimate work in agriculture, botany sciences, wholesaling, retail, marketing, etc. 

The United States' criminalization of marijuana was done not after scientific study or after a comparison with alcohol but as a result of racial fear-mongering. Marijuana was lobbied to be an illegal and dangerous substance because it was from Africa and Asia, while distilled alcohols originated in Europe. It is time to follow the lead of 13 states that have passed legislation to decriminalize marijuana. It is time to create a golden economic boon to counter the recession and the loss of HOVENSA.

We the taxpayers pay our taxes or our business is shut down or no licenses are renewed - while there are Senators who are behind in their income taxes and have not paid. These senators are people who represent us; they are and should be role models. Can we say, "Hey, Senators pay your taxes up?"

Also can the senators repay the $6 million that they took for their personal affairs? This is only the amount that we know of. Why should we the public be the scapegoat? Do we need this many senators, seriously, for these little islands? We should send home some of the senators too. We must reduce the number of senators.

Puerto Rico is already looking into reducing the number of senators, why not us? What are they doing for us? Maybe with less senators, we would have a more efficient government and better results.

The public needs to wake up and get new, honest and hard-working senators who care for the public and not just for their pockets.

Revenue Ideas: 

Tax on timeshares/vacation homes.

Tax on cigarettes.

Tax on alcohol - beer, wine, etc.

Collection of all government agencies' debt - IRB, EDC, etc. - should be turned over to a stateside collection agency

New businesses - light industry, etc.

All new EDC beneficiaries should have to pay some tax.

Open up to advertising. There is a fine line of how much advertising government agencies should allow. But for years, there has been advertising allowed whether it is advertisements in public transportation or advertising in airport bins during screening. There's a lot of opportunity for increased revenue here, whether it is advertisements in property tax statements (like my Delta check-in boarding pass ads), advertising on TVs at the DMV (in Florida we got free televisions that have DMV info and have a few ads). Yes, there is a line - I'm not sure I want the American Express City of Cincinnati City Hall - but there's also an opportunity here. And also, this does help innovative small businesses grow.

Increase fees for physicians/medical, pharmacists, chiropractors, eye doctors, physical therapy, etc.

Increase traffic fines.

A 20 percent increase in property tax for commercial owners only.

Increase DPNR fees for building - developers - and impact fees for new construction.   

Independent person to oversee all government spending.

Actual freeze on government hiring.

Increase in fees for getting professional licensure/occcupational licenses - lawyers, plumbers, electricians, notaries, etc.

Sell WAPA to highest bidder.

Recycle certain products/materials and receive revenue from an outside company in United States.

Charge fees for cellular phone companies to do business in Virgin Islands.

Charge registration taxes for all companies doing insurance business in Virgin Islands.

1 Reduce size of the Legislature - as we voted for in the referendum a few years ago.

2. Reduce the number of holidays by one each year until the islands are in line with federal holidays only. This includes periodic, unscheduled holidays for "non-essential government employees." If they are "non-essential," why are they still on the payroll?

3. Eliminate government cars except for truly essential services/people - police/fire/ambulances, etc. If needed, pay mileage for all others driving on "official" business in their own cars.

4. Eliminate inter-island travel - use teleconferencing.

5. Institute cost-saving methods - before either borrowing or establishing new taxes or raising existing taxes.

6. Hold all government meetings in government meeting facilities - not in restaurants or hotels.

We can make up the deficit in no time: Just charge a penalty every time a senator opens up his mouth with embarrassing comments, i.e., "You can't pregnant me with five children and walk out the door," Sen. Terrance Nelson.

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