PHILIPSBURG:--- Today, Monday, June 9, 2025, at 10 am, the Minister of Finance returns to Parliament to continue discussions on the 2025 Budget. As previously stated, this version of the budget solely incorporates the amendments and modifications formally approved by Parliament in January 2025.
The Minister intends to provide a detailed breakdown of how each amendment and modification has been incorporated. This follows remarks made by Members of Parliament, suggesting that not all amendments were correctly reflected. The Minister wishes to reiterate that it is understandable that a one-to-one reconciliation may not have been immediately evident. If that were the case, there would be no need for this continued discussion, and the budget would already have been enacted.
While the Minister would have preferred to present a partially revised budget at this time, the decision was made to incorporate the amendments into the existing budget solely, to have it swiftly approved. This approach takes into account the deadline issued by the Kingdom Council of Ministers on April 30, 2025, as well as the sentiments expressed by Parliamentarians following the Minister's earlier proposal to submit a new budget with amendments. A formal budget amendment for 2025 will still be forthcoming at a later stage.
In addition to the detailed review of each amendment, the Minister will also present a comparison of the first quarter (Q1) actuals to the approved budget figures. This comparison will demonstrate that the budget, even as amended, remains realistic and aligned with the country’s financial performance to date.
As mentioned in earlier sessions, several of the amendments contained technical and numerical inconsistencies, making full incorporation challenging. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Finance has translated all approved amendments and modifications into the budget figures as accurately and comprehensively as possible.
During today’s meeting, the Minister will walk Parliament through each amendment and modification, line by line to provide full clarity and transparency. The Minister kindly asks for patience, as the session will be highly detailed, but essential to achieving mutual understanding and alignment. Owing to the fact that Parliament has already approved the incorporated amendments and modifications, the Minister is hopeful that the current round of meetings can be concise, and that the budget may move more swiftly toward final approval and enactment.
