Philipsburg:--- Minister of Finance Roland Tuitt told reporters on Wednesday at the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefing that the process to finalize the 2013 budget is not yet complete as he is still awaiting a response from the CFT on the last draft the Government of St. Maarten presented to them for their approval.
Minister Tuitt said the 2013 budget now stands at 457 million guilders. The Minister of Finance said that the Council of Ministers already gave a preliminary approval of the budget in their Council of Ministers meeting on Tuesday while the they are still working on a follow up report. Tuitt said as soon as he gets the approval of the CFT he will send the budget via the various channels so that it can reach the Parliament of St. Maarten for their approval.
When asked by SMN News if he believes that he will meet his target by having the budget approved in the month of February as he anticipated some weeks ago, Tuitt said that will not happen because the Government of St. Maarten is making a realistic budget and not a "voodoo" budget.
The Minister also clarified again on Wednesday that he has no problems with the CFT and their checks and balances. He said the only disagreement he has with the CFT is the fact they have not given to him in writing the criteria on which they are auditing the budget he sent to them.
Road Tax Deadline February 28th.
The Finance Minister said again on Wednesday that were no major changes made to the payment of the annual road tax. He said that the only thing that was done is that the payment system has been simplified so that motor vehicle owners could make their payments easier and faster. Tuitt cautioned vehicle owners that the deadline for paying their road tax is February 28th, 2013. Another remark the Finance Minister made was that in his view a lot of people/residents and vehicle owners on St. Maarten have become law enforcement officers when it comes to the road tax and the changes made to the payment system. Tuitt said he came to that conclusion based on the kinds of questions that he is confronted with on a daily basis.
