{"id":176324,"date":"2026-06-21T16:35:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T19:35:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/?p=176324"},"modified":"2026-06-21T12:35:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T15:35:07","slug":"vsb-solidarity-with-the-elderly-requires-fair-and-sustainable-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/vsb-solidarity-with-the-elderly-requires-fair-and-sustainable-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"VSB: Solidarity with the elderly requires fair and sustainable policy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Suriname Business Association (VSB<\/a>) says it understands the concerns regarding elderly people who, despite their advanced age, still have to work to make ends meet. The organization is responding to the recent discussion in the National Assembly, where the situation of an 80-year-old woman was cited as an example of the vulnerable position of senior citizens. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A<\/span>ccording to the VSB, this example strikes a chord. \u201cNo one can remain indifferent when senior citizens, after a lifetime of labor, do not enjoy sufficient social security,\u201d the business organization states. The VSB emphasizes that the position of the elderly must be strengthened, but believes that solutions must be fair, sustainable, and broadly supported. <\/p>\n

The organization questions the repeated increase in burdens on the formal economy. According to the VSB, the government has not yet demonstrably utilized all possibilities for generating revenue before looking again at citizens and companies that already pay taxes. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor years, experts have pointed to the enormous untapped potential of the informal sector, extensive illegal gold mining, and shortcomings in tax collection,\u201d according to the VSB. The organization states that millions of SRDs in potential state revenue remain out of reach because large parts of the economy contribute little or nothing to the collective burden. <\/p>\n

According to the VSB, the government must first work on an effective approach to the illegal gold sector, the gradual formalization of the informal economy, more efficient tax collection, and a broader tax base in which everyone contributes according to their means. Waste and inefficiency within the public sector must also be reduced. <\/p>\n

According to the business organization<\/a>, the formal sector already bears a disproportionately large share of the tax burden. \u201cContinuously increasing the burden on the same group undermines investment, employment, entrepreneurship, and ultimately the state’s future tax revenue,\u201d the VSB warns. <\/p>\n

In addition, the organization believes the government should take a critical look at the funds spent annually on loss-making state-owned enterprises. According to the VSB, these are companies that do not always adhere to the principles of good governance. By gradually phasing out financial support for such enterprises, resources could be freed up for solidarity measures and healthcare. <\/p>\n

\u201cTrue solidarity begins with a government that first utilizes all available sources of income and efficiency before approaching citizens and businesses that are already making their contribution,\u201d states the VSB.<\/p>\n

The organization says it fully supports strengthening the position of the elderly, but warns against measures that once again primarily affect the formal sector. According to the VSB, Suriname needs a broader, fairer, and more sustainable financial foundation. <\/p>\n

\u201cSuriname needs a broader, fairer, and more sustainable financial foundation \u2013 not a new levy that once again places the burden on those who are already visibly contributing,\u201d according to the VSB.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The VSB advocates for fair and sustainable policies to support the elderly without additional burdens on the formal sector. Read more for their vision on a broader financial foundation. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":176325,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[16333],"tags":[18386,18385,18384,18387,18383],"class_list":["post-176324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-elderly-must-work","tag-illegal-gold-mining","tag-suriname-business-association","tag-tax-collection","tag-the-national-assembly"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","pp_force_visibility":null,"pp_subpost_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_force_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_subpost_visibility":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176324"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":176369,"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176324\/revisions\/176369"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}