PHILIPSBURG:--- “Focus audit: Sint Maarten Stimulus and Support Program (SSRP) for 2020.” The Audit Chamber issued its report based on research into the program’s implementation. The SSRP, its legal basis, the internal organization of the program, as well as its responsibilities and accountability structure, are described in the report. In addition, the report provides insight into the financial situation of the SSRP for the year 2020.
How the SSRP addressed COVID-19’s impact on the local economy, and how accountability for the program is accomplished, were the main questions the Audit Chamber sought to answer with this audit. Answering the questions was challenging because obtaining information proved difficult during the (initial) research phase, even though the Government chose to specifically define the oversight of the Audit Chamber in the Temporary Regulation governing (the business payroll support element of) the SSRP.
The Audit Chamber could not determine whether all financial reporting requirements were met based on the information received from government. However, the Audit Chamber reports that an additional layer of accountability, created because of mutual agreements with the Kingdom Council of Ministers, is in place.
In its report, the Audit Chamber identifies several areas of interest on which Government should focus; improvement of reporting on actual expenditures for SSRP components, trend analysis to gain insight in the program’s effectiveness, availability of data, and definition of the roles of Ministers involved in the program.
Wherever possible, links contained in the report reference a source document. Readers are welcome to explore the subject matter further or to consult the public source document.
The report is published in both English and Dutch and is available on the website of the General Audit Chamber (www.arsxm.org).
