SXMElections.com

PHILIPSBURG--Amendments to increase the 2015 budget by some NAf. 15 million, and to shift some budgetary allocations have been sent to Parliament by the Marcel Gumbs cabinet.

It is hoped by Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs that Parliament will deal with the amendments soon.

The 2015 budget, though passed by Parliament on January 29, has not yet been given the stamp of approval by the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT.

Amendments to the budget were anticipated based on projected increases to government income and other complementing factors.

Referred to as a "skeleton budget" by Finance Minister Martin Hassink, the 2015 balanced budget stands at NAf. 445 million, some 19 million off the amount projected by CFT.

The growth of the budget by three per cent from 430 million last year can be credited to the country's economic growth, execution of a tax project/clearing up tax administration backlog, and "swift execution" of tax administration reorganisation, Hassink had said at the budget presentation to Parliament.

One budget-neutral amendment was made to the budget by Parliament before it was formally adopted. The amendment cut the allocation for New Works (infrastructure) from NAf. 33,950,000 to 25,650,000 and moved the subtracted 8.3 million to Domain Affairs for the completion of the purchase of the Vorst land in Cay Hill.

The draft 2016 budget is in the final preparation stages. Gumbs said in the Council of Ministers Press Briefing on Wednesday, that the cabinet had hoped to have had the draft budget already with Parliament. Now, the aim is to get it tabled for discussion by the opening of the new parliamentary year, which starts on October 10.