PHILIPSBURG--Finance Minister Richard Gibson is hoping that the draft 2016 budget will reach Parliament by tomorrow, Friday.
Gibson said on Wednesday that the Council of Advice had given its comments on the budget. These comments have been reworked into the budget. The revised budget is expected to reach back to the Council of Ministers today, Thursday, and Gibson is hoping that the Parliament will receive the budget by Friday.
The Council of Ministers had approved the draft budget in December. Prime Minister Marlin had said late last year that government hoped to have the handling of the draft budget in Parliament at the end of this month or early February.
Gibson announced on December 23 that the draft 2016 budget stands at NAf. 435 million and is balanced thanks to “some acrobatic moves.”
Aiding the budget is that the Receiver’s Office is now being properly mandated to collect long outstanding casino fees via a national decree signed by Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication Irania Arrindell. A total of NAf. 13 million is outstanding, but the draft budget only conservatively takes into account the collection of NAf. 10 million.
