NOW faction leader asks how tax revenue will rise, which vacancies are funded, what GEBE and TELEM could cost government, and when residents will see results from spending plans
PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament Lyndon Lewis used the opening of the Central Committee’s 2027 budget debate on Monday to demand more than broad policy goals from the government. Moving ministry by ministry, the NOW faction leader asked ministers to identify the assumptions behind projected revenue, the staff and money available to carry out their plans, and the dates by which residents can expect results.
He first turned to Finance Minister Marinka Gumbs. The draft budget projects Cg 670 million in revenue for 2027, including Cg 497 million in taxes. Lewis asked her to explain the projected Cg 19 million increase in tax revenue over 2026, separating the amount expected from economic growth from the amount expected through better collection.
That distinction matters because the draft budget excludes proceeds from proposed new taxes that still require approval. It still depends on continued economic growth and collection efforts. Lewis asked how much tax has already been assessed but remains unpaid, and how much of that balance the Tax Administration expects to recover in 2027.
He also demanded a schedule, cost and measurable results for modernization of the Tax Administration. “When will taxpayers see shorter processing times and improved online services?” he asked.
The MP also challenged a specific licensing estimate. Business license revenue is projected to rise from approximately Cg 7 million to Cg 12 million, and Lewis asked what number of applications and what collection rate support that increase.
Lewis then turned to the government’s exposure to its own companies. He asked Gumbs to set out any loans, guarantees or potential support connected to GEBE and TELEM, as well as the financial implications of any proposed purchase of a TELEM building. He wanted to know when Parliament would receive financial statements current enough to assess those risks.
The questions followed Gumbs’ earlier acknowledgment that reporting from several government-owned companies is delayed or incomplete. She said GEBE’s 2025 financial statements have not been finalized and that TELEM continues to struggle to meet certain lender obligations.
Staffing and disaster readiness
For Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina, whose General Affairs Ministry has a budget of approximately Cg 101 million, Lewis focused on the ministry’s capacity to deliver its plans. He cited a staffing overview showing 236 filled positions, or about 54% of its establishment, with particularly low occupancy in ICT, Legal Affairs and the Fire Department.
Lewis asked which vacancies are essential to the ministry’s 2027 priorities, how many are actually funded and what quarterly recruitment plan exists. He also asked which services are being delayed by staff shortages.
The MP sought measurable targets for the National Digitalization Agenda: which services will become available to residents in 2027, when they will be launched and what improvement the public should expect. On disaster management, he requested an implementation timetable and asked how the government would test its readiness before the next hurricane season.
Lewis also raised a wider concern: shortages in the central departments responsible for recruitment, procurement and legal work could slow projects across the entire government. He asked how General Affairs would prevent those bottlenecks.
Tourism spending and transport enforcement
Turning to Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication Grisha Heyliger-Marten, Lewis cited approximately Cg 43.86 million in gross expenditure, including about Cg 14.83 million associated with external project financing. He asked which projects depend on those funds and what would be delayed if the money arrives later than expected.
Lewis questioned how the ministry would measure the return on approximately Cg 3.495 million budgeted for marketing. He asked for visitor, airlift, or economic indicators that could show whether the expenditure delivers results.
He also demanded concrete targets for economic diversification beyond tourism, including how many businesses or jobs are expected to benefit. His questions covered the investigation of consumer complaints, enforcement against unfair practices, unauthorized passenger transportation and the reliability of public transport for residents and visitors.
On aviation, Lewis asked what progress the government expects in improving air connectivity during the slowest tourism months and how it will report the results.
Justice workers, police vehicles and the prison
Lewis’s questions to Justice Minister Nathalie Tackling concentrated on whether the ministry can deliver prison reform and public safety priorities with the resources shown in the draft. He cited approximately Cg 130.77 million in gross expenditure, a figure distinct from the approximately Cg 114 million ministerial total Gumbs used in her presentation. Lewis asked which Justice priorities are fully funded and which require external financing or later budget changes.
He demanded a count of justice workers still awaiting placement decisions, salary corrections, back pay or national decrees. He requested a timetable by category, expressly including retired workers, and an explanation of how the costs are funded.
Lewis also asked how many police vehicles are operational now, how many are needed and what the 2027 budget provides for replacement and maintenance. For the Pointe Blanche prison project, he sought milestones, financing arrangements and an expected completion date. While construction continues, he asked what will be done to improve detention conditions and rehabilitation services.
Finally, he asked which prison and law enforcement vacancies are funded and how the ministry plans to recruit and retain qualified personnel.
Lewis began his questions on Education, Culture, Youth and Sport by noting that it has the largest ministerial allocation, approximately Cg 133.08 million, compared with approximately Cg 126.11 million in the 2026 budget. He cited about Cg 74.2 million in subsidies and Cg 3.949 million for student school transport. The transcript provided ends there and does not include his subsequent questions about the ministry.
The ministers’ answers will determine whether the draft’s figures translate into funded posts, functioning services and projects with dates Parliament can track. Lewis’s central demand was for the government to put those details on the record while the budget is still under examination.
