Kingdom decides Friday about retraction of salary-cut for civil servants

PHILIPSBURG — The Kingdom Council of Ministers decides next Friday, June 24, whether St. Maarten gets permission to terminate the 12.5 percent pay-cut for civil servants. For a positive outcome, the government has to abide by eight conditions. So far, Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs has only spoken publicly about three of the eight conditions More...

Audit Chamber issues adverse opinion about 2020 financial statements
PHILIPSBURG — The government is not very good at managing the money it has at its disposal to run the country. This becomes clear once more from the General Audit’s Chamber audit of the country’s 2020 More...

Conditions for retracting 12.5 percent salary cut remain a mystery
PHILIPSBURG — The Kingdom Council of Ministers will take a decision about the eight conditions St. Maarten will have to meet in exchange for permission to drop the 12.5 percent salary cut for government employees More...

Airport completes refinancing of 2012-loan
PHILIPSBURG — Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIAE) completed the refinancing of its 2012-loan with a celebration at the Mimosa Sky Lounge on Rhine Road. The airport secured a $90 million loan package More...

OM confiscates some US$359,513 over four years; to focus on collecting more criminal funds
PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten (23 May 2022) – Fighting and preventing further crimes in the community are not only dependent on putting (suspected) criminals behind bars; it is also essential to cut off the ill-acquired More...

Road tax disappears unlawfully into general budget
PHILIPSBURG — In 2009 a detailed draft report estimated there was a road network maintenance backlog worth at least 360 million guilders ($201.1 million). During the following twelve to thirteen years, the More...

Cft advises the introduction of casino- and import taxes
PHILIPSBURG — Financial supervisor Cft is highly critical of St. Maarten’s budget for the year 2022. Because tax revenue is falling 12 million guilders ($6.7 million) behind 2019-levels, the Cft advises More...

Audit Chamber gives negative opinion about 2019 financial statements
PHILIPSBURG — The General Audit Chamber confirms in its compliance audit of St. Maarten’s financial statement for the year 2019 what has been a headache ever since the territory obtained autonomy within More...

St. Maarten must amend ordinance top salaries
PHILIPSBURG — The national ordinance that regulates the ceiling for salaries in the (semi-)public sector is not in line with the decision of the Kingdom Council of Ministers of September 24 of last year. More...

Avoid salary-reductions at all cost, labor union says
PHILIPSBURG — The St. Maarten Communication Union (SMCU) has asked Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs in a letter dated February 16 to provide a template or a format that makes clear to government-owned companies More...