National Budget

The 2026 Budget

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.

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
    Cg 29M
  • Left over
    Cg 10M
  • Biggest share: Education, Culture, Youth & Sport

    Cg 126M — 19.8% of the Cg 637M spent this year.

  • Smallest ministry: Parliament & Entities

    Cg 29M — 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.

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.

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 162.7M
  • 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 1,021.4M→Cg 1,046.6M
New borrowing
Cg 42.1M
Repayments
Cg 16.9M

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

Free liquidity
Cg 13M→Cg 5M

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
Surplus vs cash
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.

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