Wescot-Williams raises capital budget and reporting questions in 2027 debate

Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams used the 2027 budget debate to question the execution of capital projects, the financing model used for them and the financial information Government provides to Parliament. Wescot-Williams said St. Maarten needs “course corrections” in public-finance management, project execution and information-sharing with Parliament.

Wescot-Williams asked Government how many projects in the 2026 and 2027 capital budgets are ready to start once financing is available. She said projects have been included in capital budgets and then carried into later years without being executed. She also raised a development or investment bank as an option to consider and asked whether other financing mechanisms should be explored.

Wescot-Williams asked for legal clarity on who may represent Government in agreements and whether a government decree must authorise people acting on its behalf. She also asked Government to return to regular budget-execution reports for Parliament.

Her requests for financial information included outstanding Government payables, taxes assessed and collected, civil-servant indexation, short-term rental taxation, gaming-sector revenue and the transformation of the Tax Administration. She also asked Government to clarify its vision for the St. Maarten Development Fund, which she said was created with a focus on youth and elderly people before being used for a wider range of government-related activities.