PHILIPSBURG:--- The General Audit Chamber has added new upgrades to its interactive environment, which citizens can use to learn how the government spends taxpayers’ money. The platform features two new ‘worlds’. The Building Permit World and Budget World. The Building Permit World shows the necessity for structural improvements and greater transparency in the permit department. It also allows users to learn more about the decision-making process and the relevant Minister's authorities.
The Budget World features the Audit Chamber’s Audit Intelligence GPT, which answers questions about the budget and other important issues in St. Maarten. It also includes a downloadable, easy-to-follow financial calendar that shows important national budget deadlines and decisions.
The new features empower citizens to keep track of the government’s responsibilities. The interactive environment, located on the Audit Chamber’s website: www.arsxm.org, was created to provide an engaging way to explore how government functions and discover tools that help hold government accountable.
The environment contains surveys, quizzes, games, and relevant information that keep users up to date on government decisions and the impact they have on daily life. One resource the Audit Chamber encourages users to explore is the Citizen Corner. It contains a free petition template that citizens can use to express public concerns, discuss policy issues, and encourage decision-makers to act.
Parliament must address and respond to petitions in writing within 12 weeks.
The interactive environment also features additional “worlds” that users can explore, such as the Road Tax World, Public Travel World and Procurement World. The enhanced platform provides useful insights into government operations and decisions that influence everyday realities. Completing all worlds will give the user a personalized certificated on public financial management, recognized and signed by the Chairman of the Audit Chamber.
Interested persons can visit arsxm.org and access the interactive environment through the website’s homepage www.arsxm.org.