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Budget 2026

The 2026 budget

The whole budget, in one scroll.

The short version: about Cg 647M comes in, Cg 637M goes out, and roughly Cg 10M is left over — all in Caribbean guilders (Cg). Every figure below is read straight from the official Sint Maarten National Budget 2026 and checked against it, line by line.

Result · 2026
+Cg 0.0M

on paper — free cash actually moves Cg −7M the same year.

Paper surplusCg +10M
Free cash changeCg −7M

The books close in the black by Cg +10M, but free liquidity drops Cg −7M over the year — a surplus you can't spend.

Revenue
Cg 0M
Spending
Cg 0M
Result
Cg +0M
Free cash
Cg +0M
Capital
Cg 0M
Chapter 1

Follow the money

The government expects Cg 647M to come in and plans to spend Cg 637M — leaving about Cg 10M left over. Here is where it all goes; tap or hover any ministry to open its page.

Money in
Cg 647M
Where it goes
Cg 637M spent
  • Parliament & entities
    Cg 29M
  • Left over
    Cg 10M
  • Biggest share: Education, Culture, Youth & Sport

    Cg 0M — 0.0% of the Cg 637M spent this year.

  • Smallest ministry: Parliament & Entities

    Cg 0M — the smallest ministry budget this year.

  • Left over: Cg +10M

    What's left after everything is paid — on paper. The free cash in the bank actually moves Cg −7M the same year.

Chapter 2

Where the money comes from

Taxes carry 73.9% of the Cg 647M raised in 2026. The rest is licences, fees & concessions — and project funds from the Netherlands, the single biggest driver of this year's rise.

Top tax lines · 2026
  • Wage taxCg 188M
  • Turnover taxCg 176M
  • Profit taxCg 46M
  • Transfer taxCg 16M
  • Room taxCg 14M
  • Excise dutiesCg 13M
  • Motor vehicle taxCg 12M
  • Income taxCg 7M

Wage + turnover tax alone raise Cg 364M.

Chapter 3

Where it goes

Seven ministries share Cg 608M. Each row links to the ministry's own page — objectives, staffing, risks.

See all seven ministries in depth
Chapter 4

Spending by cost category

Personnel is the single largest line, at Cg 279M. Material costs, transfers and interest fill in the rest.

Personnel · 2026
Cg 0M

0.0% of all spending

  • Material costs, goods & servicesCg 169M
  • Transfers and subsidiesCg 108M
  • Social provisionsCg 36M
  • InterestCg 26M
  • Depreciation costsCg 15M
  • Scholarships and allowancesCg 4M
Chapter 5

Four-year outlook

Sint Maarten plans to take in a little more than it spends every year to 2029 — a surplus each year, growing from Cg +10M to Cg +17M.

Result · each year
  • 2026+Cg 0M
  • 2027+Cg 0M
  • 2028+Cg 0M
  • 2029+Cg 0M
Chapter 6

Capital, debt & cash

Cg 162.7M of capital investment, Cg 42.1M of new borrowing, and free cash Cg −7M on the year.

Capital investment
Cg 0M
  • Other equipmentCg 79.4M
  • ICT equipmentCg 36.2M
  • Land improvementsCg 25M
  • Non-residential buildingsCg 10.3M
Biggest projects
  • GEBE generators · VROMICg 75.6M
  • Clem Labega Square, Philipsburg · TEATTCg 15M
  • New MDS/SMCAA building · TEATTCg 9.5M
  • Tax Administration ICT modernization · FINCg 8M
Public debt
Cg 0M→Cg 0M
New borrowing
Cg 0M
Repayments
Cg 0M

Plus Cg 144M short-term debt not included above.

Free liquidity
Cg 0M→Cg 0M

Free cash falls Cg −7M despite the paper surplus — the guilders on the P&L aren't the same as guilders in the account.

Chapter 7

Context & risks

The bigger economic picture, the government-owned companies, and the slow drain on the social funds.

Growth 2.0–2.7%Inflation 1.8–2.3%GDP · IMF Cg 3,341MGDP · CBCS Cg 3,268MTax / GDP 14.3%
Government-owned companies
  • GEBE · Electricity & waterCg +5.5M (2021)
  • TelEm · TelecommunicationsCg −38.4M (2023)
  • Port · SeaportUS$+11.2M (2024)owes Cg 13.1M
  • WINAIR · AirlineUS$+3.7M (2024)
  • PJIAE · AirportCg +21.1M (2024)
  • PSS · Postal services
See the full picture — Government Inc.
Demographic & social pressure
  • Seniors share of population: 5.3% → 12.8% (2011 → 2022)
  • Health-fund reserves: Cg 298.8M → Cg 178.3M (2024 → 2029)
  • Average annual health-fund deficit ≈ Cg 50M.
Chapter 8

A closer look

Three quick tools to explore, then a few points the numbers make plain.

Money left on the table
Estimated left on the table
~Cg 40.6M
  • Tourist taxCg 18Mexcluded — legislation not yet passed
  • Embarkation-card $20 fee (entry.sx)Cg 22.6M≈ US$12.6Mproposed — not counted in budget
  • Dividend withholding tax—promised (2025 debate) — not in 2026 budget
Free cash · 2026
−Cg 0M

opening Cg 13M → closing Cg 5M. Paper surplus and cash aren't the same guilder.

Debt / GDP — pick a source
Debt / GDP · CBCS40.9%

Same debt (Cg 1,046.6M), different GDP base — the Central Bank uses a GDP of Cg 3,268M for 2026, so the ratio shifts from 40.9% to 31.3%. Pick your framing.

What stands out
  • "Cg ~40M left on the table: uncounted tourist tax (~18M) + embarkation $20 fee (~22.6M)."
  • "A surplus you can't spend: +10M on paper, but free liquidity falls 7M and debt rises to 1.047bn."
  • "The 57% government: ministry staffing gauges (AZ 57%, JUS 54%, FIN 64%, VROMI 63%, TEATT 72%, VSOA 74%, ECYS 81%)."
  • "IMF vs Central Bank: debt/GDP 31.3% vs 40.9% — same debt, different GDP base."
  • "Follow the Dutch money: Project funds jump 19→69M (+50M) — the biggest driver of the +61M revenue rise (taxes rose ~25M too); TWO ends Q1 2027, Trust Fund 2028."
  • "The prison that reshapes the budget: Point Blanche adds ~US$11M/yr from 2027, pushing Justice to 123M by 2029."
  • "The slow leak in the health funds: reserves 298.8M → 178.3M (2024–2029), aging population."
  • "TEATT grew 73% overnight on one-off capital projects while running at 72% staff."
  • "Where a guilder goes: 647M revenue → 7 ministries → biggest line items (school subsidies 75M, GEBE 75.6M)."
  • "Government Inc. is a mixed portfolio: the airport (+Cg 21.1M) and Port (+US$11.2M) turn a profit, while GEBE has had no audited books since 2021 and TelEm lost Cg 38.4M in 2023."
  • "Map the budget to the SDGs / National Development Vision goals — filter all 637M by policy goal."

Source: Explanatory Notes Budget Sint Maarten 2026 (Landsverordening begroting 2026). Compiled 2026-07. Every figure on this page reconciles to the source (+10M paper result, −7M free-cash change).

Keep exploring

More ways into the numbers

MinistriesAll seven, in depthYour shareYour taxes, by incomePer residentEveryone’s equal shareGovernment Inc.The state-owned companiesThe 57% GovernmentThe empty desksData & downloadsEvery figure, open