Minister of Finance Returns to Parliament to Present Budget 2025 Updated St Maarten
Minister of Finance Returns to Parliament to Present Updated 2025 Budget
Today, Monday, June 9, 2025, at 10 a.m., the Minister of Finance returned to Parliament to continue deliberations on the 2025 Budget. The session marks a critical step toward final approval, as the Minister is set to present a version of the budget that reflects only the amendments and modifications formally approved by Parliament in January 2025.
The Minister will lead a detailed walkthrough, offering a line-by-line explanation of how each amendment has been incorporated into the current budget draft. This move directly addresses recent concerns from Members of Parliament who questioned whether every amendment had been accurately captured. According to the Minister, the lack of a clear one-to-one reconciliation was anticipated. Had full clarity existed from the outset, further discussions would not have been necessary, and the budget would already have received final approval.
Although a partially revised budget may have been preferable from a technical standpoint, the Minister emphasized that the current approach was chosen to meet the April 30, 2025, deadline set by the Kingdom Council of Ministers. In response to prior parliamentary feedback, the Ministry opted not to submit a newly revised budget but to integrate only the pre-approved changes. A formal budget amendment is expected later in the fiscal year to address any remaining concerns.
Furthermore, the Minister will present a comparison between first quarter (Q1) actuals and the adjusted budget projections. This analysis aims to reinforce the credibility of the amended budget by demonstrating that its figures remain in line with real-time national financial performance.
Despite technical and numerical inconsistencies found in several of the amendments, the Ministry of Finance has worked diligently to incorporate all approved changes as precisely and thoroughly as possible. The Minister acknowledged these challenges but reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to transparency and accuracy.
Today’s session, while expected to be meticulous and time-consuming, is intended to foster full alignment between Parliament and the Ministry. Given that all incorporated changes have already passed parliamentary approval, the Minister remains optimistic that the review process will conclude efficiently, paving the way for swift enactment of the 2025 Budget.