March 15 2018 – “I just wanted to explain my vote on Bill No. 248 so it is very clear.  This bill does several things.  First, it puts a Business Privilege Tax on many but not all businesses on Guam.  It raises that Business Privilege Tax by one percent.  It puts a sales tax on all families, on all retail and service transactions, regardless of income or struggle. It tells the people that this Legislature has no issue with the Executive’s spending priorities in times of crisis and that it is ok for the Executive Branch to cut less than what they originally promised going forward.  On top of all of this, one person receives in good faith from this bill the power to reorganize to wipe out services and missions of the government that our community has demanded.  And I truly hope that this good faith is well placed.  Despite the drama of the last few weeks, we have not achieved a real shift in priorities or true accountability.  The hard work must still be done.  It is still before those who may remain in public service and for our entire community. Regardless of the votes, I appreciate the hard work of all of my colleagues in this effort and I sincerely hope that the passage of this bill will stop the fear that is being used to propel it.  The intentional promotion of fear in our students that their teachers will be furloughed, in our retirees that their health insurance will not be paid, that ambulances are being parked for our benefit.  It is time to work harder and to face head on our vulnerable economy, our vulnerable political status, so that we can insulate those who come after us from whim and fear and unilateral priority setting for our entire community. I just want to thank my colleagues for their cooperation throughout this process and their collegiality and respect and to wish us all luck as we go forward and do the hard work.”

Watch remarks here:
Senator Terlaje Opposes Sales Tax and BPT Increase