Former Finance Minister demands answers on gambling-sector arrears and long-lease collections, alleging political connections are weakening enforcement while ministers complain about insufficient funds.
PHILIPSBURG:--- National Alliance MP Ardwell Irion challenged the government to pursue outstanding payments from businesses and government landholders before imposing additional charges on residents, accusing the coalition of failing to collect revenues already within its reach.
During the 2027 draft budget debate, the former Finance Minister directed pointed questions at Finance Minister Marinka Gumbs and VROMI Minister Patrice Gumbs Jr. over gambling-sector obligations, commercial long-lease arrears and the financing of the proposed Road Fund.
His argument was direct: ministers cannot credibly plead financial hardship while leaving existing obligations uncollected and asking struggling households to carry more of the burden.
“Why put pressure on the small man when you're not willing to go after the donors?” Irion asked.
Irion alleged that political relationships with some businesses had affected the government’s willingness to enforce collection. He did not present documentary evidence of those alleged arrangements during his remarks.
Gambling-sector collections under scrutiny
Irion demanded a detailed explanation of how much casinos and lottery companies owe the government and what the Finance Ministry is doing to recover those amounts.
He recalled that, during his tenure as Finance Minister, operators were required to address both their current fees and accumulated arrears.
According to Irion, the previous administration made clear that political support did not exempt a company from meeting its financial obligations.
He described an encounter in which an operator said he was supporting his party. Irion said he responded that the company still had to pay its fair share so the government could support the people of St. Maarten.
He maintained that the threat of license withdrawal produced payments within a short period and urged the current minister to consult collection officials about the results.
Irion asked how much money had been collected in 2023, how much remained outstanding and whether those collection arrangements were still being enforced.
His challenge went beyond identifying another potential revenue measure. He wanted the minister to explain what had happened to an enforcement approach that, he said, had already produced results.
Allegations of political protection
Irion alleged that some coalition parties were supported by gambling interests and were consequently reluctant to pursue them.
He further claimed that campaign contributions in 2024 had come with expectations that certain businesses would no longer face the same scrutiny.
Those claims remain allegations made by the MP. His intervention did not establish that any particular company had secured an exemption, that a specific donation was unlawful or that a minister had entered into such an arrangement.
Nevertheless, Irion placed a clear question before the Finance Minister: are all businesses being held to the same collection standards?
He argued that government revenue policy would lack credibility if residents faced additional demands while politically connected businesses were allowed to leave obligations outstanding.
Long-lease arrears could help finance roads, Irion argues
Irion also challenged VROMI Minister Patrice Gumbs Jr. over collecting payments for government land issued under long leases.
He alleged that an initiative begun under the previous administration had been stopped and asked the minister to explain why.
According to Irion, the earlier process had identified significant arrears, including commercial obligations dating back to 2018 and 2019. He said officials had already prepared lists of major outstanding accounts and payment commitments.
Irion estimated that approximately 20 million guilders could now be outstanding. That figure was his estimate; he requested an official accounting from the government.
He questioned why the VROMI Minister was seeking approximately five million for the Road Fund while, in his assessment, substantial revenues associated with his own ministry remained uncollected.
“Have you contacted the Minister of Finance in the last year and said, ' Hey Minister, I want to stop this project '?” Irion asked, referring to the earlier collection initiative.
He argued that recovering outstanding long-lease payments could help finance public infrastructure and reduce pressure on other government resources.
Finance Minister urged to hold colleagues accountable
Irion described the public disagreement over Road Fund financing as embarrassing and urged Minister Marinka Gumbs to exercise firmer financial leadership within the Council of Ministers.
He noted that ministers repeatedly told Parliament they lacked money to execute their plans.
But he argued the Finance Minister should not be left responsible for finding additional resources while other ministries failed to pursue revenues or provide the information needed to support their requests.
His challenge was for the minister to hold her colleagues accountable for both sides of the budget: what they wanted to spend and what they were doing to collect.
Irion also questioned whether the Road Fund could operate without securing the associated capital financing.
The government, he argued, needed to explain whether the road program had a dependable funding source, rather than leaving Parliament to approve allocations whose execution remained uncertain.
Tipping fees questioned amid collection concerns
Irion questioned the proposed introduction of tipping fees at the landfill while other revenue avenues remained insufficiently pursued.
He acknowledged that waste services would eventually require payment and did not reject the principle of charging for waste management.
His objection concerned timing and fairness.
Residents already facing high electricity bills and rising living costs should not be asked to absorb another burden before the government demonstrated that it had seriously pursued outstanding payments elsewhere, he argued.
For Irion, collecting existing obligations from businesses with the means to pay should come before placing additional pressure on households.
Government land must serve public needs
Irion extended his criticism to how government land is allocated and used.
He asked whether VROMI had consulted the Justice Ministry about land needed to store confiscated vehicles and scooters.
At the same time, he questioned reports of entities holding government land on long leases and advertising property for rent.
He challenged the minister to explain those arrangements and whether the land was being used consistently with the purpose for which it had been issued.
His questions highlighted what he portrayed as a failure to coordinate scarce public resources: Justice was identifying a practical land need while other allocations continued.
The remarks did not establish a legal violation in any specific lease arrangement.
A demand for figures and enforcement
Irion’s intervention emphasized collection records, outstanding balances, and ministerial decisions.
He asked the government to account for gambling-sector revenues, explain the status of long-lease enforcement and demonstrate how promised road improvements would be funded.
He also challenged the administration to show that collection policy applied consistently, regardless of a debtor’s political relationships.
With ministers citing limited resources and residents struggling to meet basic expenses, Irion argued that the government’s first responsibility was to pursue money already owed.
His message to the Finance Minister was to stop accepting insufficient funds as the end of the discussion—and to require her colleagues to explain what they were doing to bring those funds in.