PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament Lyndon Lewis has announced that his faction has formally submitted an official letter dated February 10, 2026, to the Honorable Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications (TEATT), Mrs. Grisha Heyliger-Marten, demanding immediate clarity and accountability regarding the Government’s financial handling of the 2025 Soul Beach Music Festival.

Despite the Minister's November 2025 public statements confirming that there are no agreements, discussions, or commitments for Soul Beach in 2026, this does not resolve the serious and unresolved questions surrounding the use of public funds in 2025. The people of Sint Maarten were never told that accountability ends when an event is cancelled. Public funds demand answers—regardless of whether the event returns.

The Soul Beach Music Festival, previously hosted in Aruba, was introduced to Sint Maarten and received an estimated USD 700,000 in government subsidies.
Critically, this event was never included in the approved 2024 or 2025 national budget, nor was it previously contracted or authorized by Parliament. This raises fundamental concerns about how and why such a substantial financial commitment was made without legislative approval.

The law is unambiguous. Under the General Subsidy Ordinance, organizers of incidentally subsidized events are required to submit a full financial and activity report within three months of the event’s conclusion. The Minister is then obligated to review, finalize, and report on the subsidy within a legally prescribed timeframe. As of February 2026, more than nine months after the event, Parliament has still not received the required documentation. This delay is not procedural—it is unlawful.

Parliament has already acted on this matter. A motion was passed demanding an investigation into the financial and administrative handling of the Soul Beach subsidy. To date, the Minister has failed to provide Parliament with the required findings, documentation, or explanations, despite repeated calls for transparency.

Furthermore, as a new event involving significant new spending, Soul Beach required explicit Parliamentary approval via a budget amendment, in accordance with Article 100 of the Constitution of Sint Maarten. The use of unused allocations from a previous budget year does not substitute for Parliamentary authorization. Doing so directly undermines Parliament’s constitutional authority and violates the principles of public financial management.

The N.O.W. faction makes it clear: any agreements signed, commitments made, or funds expended without Parliamentary approval place full responsibility on the Minister involved. The law does not shield ministers who authorize payments without a legal basis. Accountability is personal as well as political.

Through its official correspondence, the N.O.W. faction has demanded clear answers to the following:

• Where are the legally required financial and activity reports for Soul Beach 2025?
• Why has the Ministry failed to finalize and submit its review within the statutory timeframe?
• Why was a new, unbudgeted event funded without Parliamentary approval?
• And most importantly, how will the Minister ensure that unlawfully spent public funds are recovered and returned to the people of Sint Maarten?

MP Lewis stresses that this matter will not be allowed to fade into silence. The N.O.W. faction will continue to pursue every parliamentary and legal avenue necessary to
protect public funds, uphold the constitution, and restore public trust.

“The people of Sint Maarten deserve more than explanations after the fact,” MP Lewis stated.
“They deserve a government that respects the law, respects Parliament, and respects their money.”

PHILIPSBURG:--- Pending the implementation of the ongoing tax reform, taxpayers will now have the opportunity to settle their outstanding income taxes through a payment arrangement with a standard period of 24 months, once the assessment has been determined, instead of the maximum period of 9 months currently being applied. This was announced by the Honorable Minister of Finance, Marinka Gumbs.
The new flexible approach is guided by the theme, “Stabilize, Repair, Reform: A Phased Approach to Tax Reform and System Renewal.” It applies exclusively to individual taxpayers and relates solely to outstanding income tax assessments. It does not apply to businesses, corporate taxpayers, or any other types of taxes, including wage tax, turnover tax, or profit tax. The measure is intended to better reflect the economic realities and payment capacity of individuals and households in Sint Maarten.

According to the Minister, this temporary approach will be in effect until December 31, 2026. Separate and targeted measures to address concerns within the business community are currently being developed and will be made public at a later date.
“I want to emphasize that I fully support strong and joint compliance efforts to ensure that taxes are paid and that the tax system functions effectively,” Minister Marinka Gumbs stated. “However, at the same time, it is clear that existing collection measures need to be modernized to better reflect current economic realities and taxpayers’ ability to pay.”
“These two objectives,” she went on, “go hand in hand: maintaining compliance while ensuring that collection practices are fair, reasonable, and workable in today’s context.”

The Receiver, she stressed, will continue to collect outstanding taxes in accordance with existing laws. The Receiver cannot waive or reduce tax debts but may grant deferrals of payment where appropriate for individual income taxpayers.
“I acknowledge that due to limitations in existing procedures and systems, the Receiver is currently unable to effectuate automatic tax refunds,” the Minister stated. “Furthermore, delays in the annual tax process have resulted in individual taxpayers sometimes receiving multiple years of assessments within a single calendar year, leading to unexpected and cumulative payment obligations that are difficult to meet within a short period.”
The Minister recognized that this situation has contributed to significant financial stress for many households, particularly given the damaging effects of the hurricanes, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ongoing financial burdens families face, including the high cost of living, rising utility costs, and the challenges surrounding GEBE. She noted that these cumulative pressures have affected the payment capacity of many individual taxpayers and must be acknowledged in shaping a fair and realistic collection approach.

“While it is true that it is the responsibility of each citizen to file and pay their taxes in a timely manner, it is also evident that the current collection ordinances are outdated and no longer fully reflect the present fiscal and economic circumstances of Sint Maarten,” she noted.
Under current practice, the Receiver applies a maximum deferral term of nine months without requiring a payment capacity test. Where such a test is required, it is based on a DB 35 form that assesses income, expenditures, and assets. Feedback from individual taxpayers gathered during the Minister’s Finance Friday engagements indicates that the nine-month term is often too short, that the DB 35 process is perceived as administratively burdensome, and that some taxpayers have entered into agreements they knew in advance they could not realistically meet.
This is why the Minister has introduced this temporary approach, effective until December 31, 2026, allowing individual income taxpayers who request a payment arrangement to be granted payment terms of up to 24 months without the requirement to submit a DB 35 payment capacity test. Taxpayers who prefer a shorter payment period may also request this.

In addition, the Minister noted that this temporary adjustment will also allow the hard-working Collection Officers to deploy their limited collection capacity more effectively. By offering realistic payment terms to individual taxpayers willing to comply, the Receiver and collection staff can focus their enforcement efforts on non-compliance and deliberate non-payment. This targeted approach strengthens overall compliance while reducing unnecessary administrative pressure on both taxpayers and tax employees.
While the Tax Administration continues to work toward implementing a new integrated tax IT system and modernizing its processes, the Minister considers it appropriate to temporarily adopt a more realistic, understandable, and humane approach to payment arrangements for individual income taxpayers.
In the interest of transparency and good governance, the Minister also confirmed that the adjusted collection policy will be formally documented and published. Clear publication of the applicable rules and conditions ensures that taxpayers understand their rights and obligations, promotes equal treatment, and strengthens public trust in the administration of the tax system.

“The intention is to reduce hardship, limit the need for coercive measures such as summons, liens, attachments, and auctions, and promote voluntary compliance by taxpayers who are willing to pay but require more reasonable timelines to do so,” Minister Marinka Gumbs concluded.

PHILIPSBURG:---  The Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic & Telecommunication (TEATT) hereby informs the public that applications for Carnival 2026 vending in Philipsburg are officially open as of Monday, February 16th, 2026.

Booth Placement
For the 2026 Carnival season, vending booths will be permitted only along the designated stretch between Ketty’s Kitchen and Fat Boy Jimmy’s Grill.

Please be advised that food trucks will not be permitted to operate along W.J. Walter Nisbeth Road (from GEBE onward) this year.

Application Collection
Applications can be downloaded online (see below) or collected in person at the Department of Economic Licenses’ Service Desk (window B), Government Administration Building, during the following hours:
• Daily: 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM
• Collection period: February 16th through February 23rd, 2026

Submission Deadline
Completed applications must be returned in person no later than:
Tuesday, February 24th, 2026, at 12:00 PM (noon).

Applications must be fully completed at the time of submission. Late or incomplete submissions will not be accepted. After 12:00 PM on February 24th, 2026, no further applications will be received.

Please note:
Applications cannot/must not be submitted through the Economic Licenses online portal. Any applications submitted online will not be considered.

The Ministry encourages all interested vendors to apply early and adhere strictly to the established timeline and application guidelines to ensure a safe, orderly, and successful Carnival season for all.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The community of St. Peter's and the wider Sint Maarten is grappling with profound grief and fear following the fatal police shooting of Mr. Rudy Benjamin. This tragic event has left a family without a loved one and a community shaken, raising urgent questions about the actions of law enforcement and the systems designed to protect citizens. In the wake of this loss, a unified call for transparency, accountability, and justice is growing louder.
Concerned citizens have formally addressed the Minister of Justice and other key officials, outlining the deep-seated anxieties that this incident has brought to the surface. This is not just a request for information; it is a demand for the fundamental principles of justice to be upheld. The community deserves clear, unambiguous answers about the circumstances that led to Mr. Benjamin’s death.
At the heart of the community's plea are several critical demands for a transparent and impartial process. Residents are asking for a full and independent investigation into the incident. This includes a detailed timeline of events, clarification on the legal justification for using lethal force, and an explanation of whether de-escalation tactics were attempted. Trust can only be rebuilt when the public is assured that every aspect of the operation is thoroughly and honestly examined.
Furthermore, the call for accountability extends to the procedures that followed the shooting. Questions about the immediate securing of the scene, the preservation of evidence, and the integrity of the forensic investigation are paramount. To ensure complete impartiality, citizens have requested that all involved officers be suspended from active duty while the investigation is pending—a standard practice to maintain the credibility of such a sensitive inquiry.
This incident also highlights Sint Maarten's obligations under international human rights standards, including the fundamental right to life. The UN provides clear principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement, emphasizing that they must be used only as a measure of last resort and governed by necessity and proportionality. An effective, independent investigation is not just a request; it is a requirement when a life is lost at the hands of state agents.
Given public concerns about transparency in official institutions, the demand for an external investigative body, separate from the police force, is a crucial step toward restoring public trust. The community is not seeking to undermine the police but to reinforce the rule of law that binds everyone equally. True justice ensures that those who enforce the law are also held accountable by it.
The path forward requires a genuine commitment from our authorities. It begins with clear and consistent communication about the steps being taken to investigate this tragedy. It involves protecting witnesses who come forward and ensuring that, if wrongdoing is found, there are meaningful consequences.
The family of Rudy Benjamin, his children, and the entire community of St. Peters deserve the truth. They deserve to see that justice is not just a concept but a reality for every citizen. We call upon the authorities to address these legitimate concerns with the seriousness and urgency they require. The time for answers is now. The time for justice is now.