Ministry · Budget 2027
DraftBefore ParliamentFINFinanciën
The Ministry of Finance collects Sint Maarten's taxes, makes the government's payments and manages its loans and cash, with a 2027 draft budget of about Cg 98 million. As well as its own staff and offices, that budget carries the country's interest bill, depreciation on all government assets, the Trust Fund-financed SPEAR programme, a provisional first contribution towards resolving the insurer Ennia Caribe Leven, and the modernisation of the Tax Administration.
Ms. Marinka J. Gumbs
Minister of Finance
Day-to-day spending
By type of cost, million Cg
| Type of cost | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Interest & bank charges | Cg 27.3M | Cg 31.0M |
| Personnel costs | Cg 29.4M | Cg 26.4M |
| Other operating costs | Cg 17.8M | Cg 23.4M |
| Depreciation | Cg 15.0M | Cg 16.0M |
| Accommodation & transport | Cg 1.0M | Cg 1.0M |
| Total | Cg 90.6M | Cg 97.9M |
Rows may not add up to the total exactly because each is rounded.
Plans
The mission, as the budget describes it
To become a future-oriented organisation that wins back citizens' trust and lays the foundation for inclusive economic growth, through digital transformation, stronger internal control and transparent policy. The focus is on responsible financial governance, efficient government spending and stronger tax collection.
Sound financial policy aimed at a balanced budget and efficient spending: keeping expenditure under control, getting the most out of revenue streams and depending less on outside financing. The memorandum links policy objectives 1 (Tax Administration) and 4 (tax reform) to this goal.
Open communication about how public money is spent, stronger internal control and better financial reporting. The memorandum links policy objectives 2 (budget process) and 3 (financial management) to this goal.
An economy that can absorb outside shocks and grow sustainably, through better debt management, a modernised tax framework and stimulating local economic activity. The memorandum links policy objectives 2 and 3 to this goal.
Growth that benefits all citizens: reducing socio-economic inequality, improving public services and working more closely with other ministries and international partners. The memorandum's mapping of the four 2027 policy objectives (EN 42) does not link any of them to this goal.
Further digitalising and strengthening the tax office under measure C4 of the Country Package (the reform programme carried out with Dutch support through TWO): investing in 2027 in completing the integrated ICT system and its digital portals, and training tax staff. The ministry aims for a considerably more efficient assessment and collection process, which it expects to bring higher tax revenue and better compliance. Estimated cost about Cg 14 million (Cg 11 million capital, Cg 3 million operating), fully reimbursed by TWO, the Temporary Work Organisation (programme table total: Cg 13,887 thousand).
Rolling out the new budget process in full in 2027: a uniform budget instruction and timetable, more accurate revenue forecasts using modern tools (such as those of CARTAC, the Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre), and quarterly reports to allow better adjustment. Parliament's role in budget control is also being strengthened. The text puts the cost at 'approximately Cg 200' (thousand, by the memorandum's convention), but the programme table shows Cg 416 thousand.
Professionalising financial management: phases 2 and 3 of a new government-wide ERP (bookkeeping) system, a stronger audit function, and new target-state ('SOLL') processes for purchasing and payments (P2P), non-tax receipts (O2C), subsidies and payroll. The aim is more reliable financial information, timely annual accounts and a clean audit opinion. Estimated cost Cg 3.6 million (Cg 1.5 million capital, Cg 2.1 million operating).
Replacing a tax system the ministry calls fragmented and administratively burdensome with a simpler, fairer and more efficient one that raises structurally more revenue, spreads the tax burden evenly, is understandable for citizens and businesses, and meets international (including OECD) standards, introduced in phases. Technical assistance to the Department of Fiscal Affairs is paid directly by TWO, outside the national budget. Only two full-time staff work on the reform; the budget adds Cg 200 thousand for extra capacity plus Cg 690 thousand of personnel costs (Cg 890 thousand). In the numbers book the Cg 690 thousand personnel line of Fiscal Affairs already contains the Cg 200 thousand hire (NL 22), and the whole department is budgeted at Cg 772 thousand (EN 42).
Programmes
Showing 12 of 18 programmes.
Result area 0 – Programme management & communication
Cg 1.3MSupport for programme steering (change management, PR, programme audit).
Result area 1 – Organisational transformation
Cg 269kUpdated job book, new processes in place and all staff trained to work with them.
Result area 2 – Modernisation of services
Cg 173kTrained staff and processes adjusted for customer-oriented service to taxpayers.
Result area 3 – ICT transformation (capital investment)
Cg 11MA robust tax ICT system, including portals (requirements, testing, data cleaning and migration).
Result area 4 – Redesign of business processes
Cg 485kImproved current-state ('IST+') processes completed.
Result area 5 – Accommodation (planning)
Cg 400kAn accommodation plan for the Tax Administration.
Result area 6 – 'Accommodation' (as printed): quick-win SBAB audits (SBAB is not spelled out in the source)
Cg 250kA cleaned database and completed audits.
Completion of Policy Budgeting and Reporting – Plateau 1
Cg 416kA multi-year, policy-based budget as the law requires (the table's stated result: a budget built on overarching policy objectives and multi-year estimates for the ordinary and capital service).
SPEAR – Sustaining Program Effectiveness and Advancing Resilience
Cg 13.5MA stronger National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB, Cg 25.2 million component) and a stronger Government of Sint Maarten (Cg 9 million component, including a Disaster Reserve Fund). Whole programme Cg 34.2 million (USD 19 million), 2026 to end-2029.
Program Management
Cg 791kSupport for programme steering (change management, PR, programme audit).
Project I – Processes: SOLL processes P2P, O2C, subsidies and payroll, and SOLL for other financial processes
Cg 650kSOLL processes and an internal control framework.
Project II – Technology: applications and systems for the SOLL processes (ERP, capital investment)
Cg 1.5MPortals and a system supporting the SOLL processes.
Since 2026
2026: Cg 90.6M2027: Cg 98.1M
Up Cg 7.5 million: Cg 3.0 million less for personnel and Cg 10 million more for material costs, mainly SPEAR (+Cg 3 million), interest (+Cg 3 million), depreciation (+Cg 1 million) and Cg 3 million for Ennia. The SPEAR increase is financed by the Trust Fund, so it raises gross spending but not the net pressure on national resources. After TWO and Trust Fund financing, net spending is Cg 79,334 thousand (Cg 72,907 thousand in 2026). The numbers book totals Cg 90,579,705 for 2026 and Cg 97,860,362 for 2027 (NL 23), about Cg 0.24 million less than the memorandum's 2027 figure.
2026: Cg 10.9M2027: Cg 16.5M
SPEAR, financed by the Trust Fund, will mostly spend in 2027 because it only started in 2026 and most terms of reference were still being prepared (SPEAR: Cg 13,466 thousand, up from Cg 10,920 thousand). The line also includes the new Ennia contribution of Cg 3 million, which did not apply in 2026.
2026: Cg 26.2M2027: Cg 29.9M
Partly because a Cg 73.5 million loan that was due for repayment in 2025 was refinanced at 3.62%, adding about Cg 3 million in interest. Amounts are from the numbers book; the memorandum's loan overview shows the same totals (Cg 26,201 and 29,873 thousand, EN 21), while its cost table shows Cg 30,116 thousand for 2027 (EN 50).
2026: Cg 29.4M2027: Cg 26.4M
Mainly less TWO-funded hire of outside staff (about Cg 3 million less), partly offset by about Cg 1 million more in pay, pension and social contributions (step increases, service anniversaries). EN 42 puts the net drop at Cg 3.0 million; EN 56 says Cg 2 million.
2026: Cg 4.9M2027: Cg 2.1M
In 2026 this hire was entirely for TWO projects in their start-up phase. With the projects further along, the need shifts from general temporary support to specialised outside expertise and advice; hire that is structural will from now on be counted as personnel costs.
2026: Cg 2.0M2027: Cg 3.3M
Further implementation of the TWO projects requires extra hired technical staff to support both the Tax Administration and financial management. The numbers book prints the 2026 amount as Cg 1,997 thousand (NL 21).
Capital budget
The items listed here add up to Cg 62.0M, less than this ministry's capital chapter total of Cg 82.4M: the chapter also holds amounts that are not itemised here.
To house the whole tax organisation, now split between the Tax Administration and Receiver buildings, in one location; the current building has insufficient capacity for new staff if open vacancies are filled. Financed by a loan (EN 54), although the EN 52 introduction says Finance's capital spending is financed by TWO. Running costs: insurance and building maintenance. EN 52 labels it 'Result area 6 – Accommodation', the label EN 44 uses for the quick-win SBAB audits. Same amount in the numbers book (NL 55); the ledger line 'Huisvesting' is Cg 27,450,000, which equals the building plus the Cg 150,000 canteen (NL 50). No timeline is given.
Regular repayments on the country's existing loans, booked in Finance's chapter of the capital service: Cg 22,002,692 in 2027 (Cg 16,942,242 in 2026). The memorandum says repayments and study loans are paid from own resources. The repayment schedule rises to Cg 81,035,424 in 2029 (NL 56).
Modular system: taxpayer management, business and personal taxes, collection and payments and a taxpayer portal, plus audit, case and risk management and a data warehouse; the sheet says a modular approach was chosen instead of the originally intended fully integrated system. Financed via TWO Netherlands (not a capital-service loan). EN 52 also shows Cg 8,000 thousand in 2026 and Cg 2,250 thousand in 2028. The numbers book lists this item at Cg 16,200,000 in each of 2025, 2026 and 2027 (NL 55); its capital income shows Country Package project money of the same Cg 16,200,000 under the Tax Administration (NL 53). The 2027 ledger line 'Project herstructurering Finance (incl. ICT)', Cg 32,950,000 (NL 50), equals this item plus the ERP system. EN 168 says all 2026 capital goods were budgeted again in 2027 because it is not known whether the 2026 loan will be obtained; the source does not say whether this explains the repeated amounts.
Replaces largely stand-alone financial systems and the outdated main system 'Decade' with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations; total project Cg 16,750 thousand, start Q1 2023 (the description says it started in the second quarter of 2023), estimated end Q4 2027. EN 52 shows Cg 2,097 thousand in 2026 and says this capital spending is financed by TWO; the project sheet does not state financing. The numbers book lists the ERP at Cg 16,750,000 (the full project total) in each of 2025, 2026 and 2027 (NL 55); together with the tax ICT system it equals the Cg 32,950,000 ledger line on NL 50. The memorandum's Finance capital total is Cg 39,800 thousand; the numbers book's Finance investments total Cg 60,400,000 (NL 55). The Cg 20.6 million gap is this item (+15.25 million), the tax ICT system (+5.2 million) and the canteen (+0.15 million).
Listed only in the numbers book (Cg 150,000; also Cg 275,050 in 2026); it does not appear in the memorandum's capital table.
This ministry's capital chapter, 2027
Cg 82,402,692
33.2% of the country's Cg 248,519,771 capital budget, to the guilder, as printed in the numbers book. Across all chapters the capital budget also covers loan repayments and study loans.
Targets
Remaining Trust Fund programme indicators realised (SPEAR component 1, NRPB)
Target80% of the remaining indicators
SPEAR disbursements in 2027
TargetExpected USD 8 million / Cg 14.4 million in 2027 (cumulative Cg 19.8 million)
Integrated Tax Administration ICT system and digital portals
TargetInvestment in 2027 towards completing the system and portals (Cg 11,000 thousand); the capital table also shows Cg 2,250 thousand for 2028
Government-wide ERP system (Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations)
TargetEstimated end date Q4 2027
New budget process (uniform budget instruction and timetable, quarterly reports)
TargetFully rolled out in 2027
Audit opinion on the country's annual accounts
TargetStronger internal control and better annual accounts that contribute to a clean audit opinion (stated aim; no date given)
Staffing
134 filledof 214 posts (establishment)
Count as of: Current FTEs in the 2027 draft budget; the ministry expects about 134 FTE at the start of 2027
Printed 63% (134/214 = 62.6%). Budget room for 163 FTE (134 filled + 29 funded vacancies); 51 more positions are unfunded. Tax Administration: 98 of 148 filled (66%); Audit and Investigation 3 of 23 (13%). Only three management positions are filled, one of them acting. Staat B, the personnel statement in the numbers book (NL 69), agrees on 134 filled, 29 funded vacancies and 163 budgeted positions, but prints a total required establishment of 213 (not 214) with 79 vacancies, which works out to 50 unfunded vacancies (not 51) and 62.9% occupancy. Two EN rows do not add up: Inspectorate is printed with 32 current FTE (the rows then sum to 135, not 134) and Department of Finance with 10 unbudgeted vacancies (rows sum to 50, not 51). EN puts total personnel costs at Cg 26 million, including Cg 14 million for current staff, Cg 3 million for funded vacancies and Cg 6 million for cost-of-living allowance and early-retirement (VUT) benefits; Staat B lists Cg 16.87 million (current staff Cg 13.63 million + funded vacancies Cg 3.24 million).
Risks
A limited tax base, a large informal sector or inefficient collection may keep revenue structurally too low.
Many government-owned companies operate with limited transparency or without regular reporting to the government. Without enough control or information, losses, debts or financial irregularities may come to light late, leading to unexpected government contributions, reputational damage and macroeconomic instability.
A shortage of staff may delay projects, and a mismatch between required and available capacity may mean tasks are not done on time.
Too little insight into implicit obligations (costs the government may have to bear that are not recorded as debt) may lead to unexpected spending and pressure on the budget.
Delays in reforms (for example pensions, healthcare and taxes) may lead to rising obligations without structural funding.
Less economic activity means lower tax revenue and higher spending, for example on social security.
The numbers book
Interest
Rentekosten
Finance department
Projects & activities
Projecten en activiteiten
Staff bureau
Depreciation (other)
Afschrijvingskosten Overigen
Finance department
Pensions
Pensioen
Finance department
Gross salaries
Brutolonen en Salarissen
Tax Administration: Receiver
Accountancy, advisory & SLAs
Accountants- en Advieskosten en SLA's
Staff bureau
Gross salaries
Brutolonen en Salarissen
Tax Administration: Inspection
Third-party hire (contractors)
Inhuur derden
Staff bureau
Gross salaries
Brutolonen en Salarissen
Accounting department
Accountancy & advisory
Accountants- en Advieskosten
Finance department
In plain English
Almost half of the Finance budget is not for running the ministry: it carries the whole country's interest bill (Cg 29.9 million in the numbers book, Cg 30.1 million in the memorandum) and depreciation on all government assets (Cg 16 million).
From 2027 Sint Maarten expects to pay up to Cg 3 million a year, for 30 years, towards resolving the insurer Ennia Caribe Leven, which the memorandum calls necessary and urgent to prevent its bankruptcy. The Cg 3 million is provisional: the final amount depends on an actuarial calculation by the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten (CBCS) and on decision-making.
Much of the modernisation is paid for with outside money: the SPEAR programme (Cg 13.5 million in 2027) from the recovery Trust Fund, and the tax-office and financial-management projects from the Dutch-funded TWO. The ministry notes that Sint Maarten will have to fund such projects itself once this money stops.
The draft budget includes Cg 11 million in 2027 for a new tax ICT system with an online taxpayer portal (TWO-funded) and Cg 27.3 million for a new, loan-financed building intended to house the whole tax organisation in one location.
The ministry reports considerable capacity pressure: 134 of 214 positions are filled (63%), tax audit and investigation has 3 of 23 positions filled, only three management posts are filled (one on an acting basis), and two full-time staff work on tax reform.
2027–2030
