~Business-license delays remain unresolved; Tourism Authority legislation targeted for mid-2027; no first-year tax relief for small businesses; gambling reform has generated no new revenue; consumer-protection law is still missing.~
PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Grisha Heyliger-Marten mounted a detailed defense of her ministry’s economic agenda before Parliament, arguing that Sint Maarten cannot simply abandon long-term reforms because results are not immediately visible, while at the same time acknowledging that several major initiatives remain unfinished, awaiting legislation, external financing, technical work or further implementation.
Her answers provide perhaps the clearest picture yet of where TEATT stands in August 2026: an economy government says is growing, but one in which the Minister herself acknowledged too many people are still struggling; business licenses can still take far too long; the proposed Sint Maarten Tourism Authority remains dependent on legislation; the gambling reform has yet to generate additional revenue; comprehensive consumer-protection legislation remains absent; and several ambitious capital projects remain at the conceptual or preparatory stage.
Heyliger-Marten rejected the suggestion that TEATT should simply reduce its agenda to create the appearance of focus. She argued that business licensing, entrepreneurship, agriculture, fisheries, consumer protection and government revenue are interconnected responsibilities.
“We cannot demand greater food security while treating agriculture and fisheries as secondary,” the Minister argued. She conceded that the ministry must prioritize and “execute better and faster,” but said cutting initiatives merely to demonstrate focus could leave more problems unresolved.
The Minister also made a significant political acknowledgment: economic statistics alone are not enough.
“Our people cannot simply be told that the economy is growing,” she said, arguing that residents must be able to participate in that growth as entrepreneurs, workers, farmers, service providers and investors.
Business licenses: Minister admits delays are unacceptable
One of the strongest admissions concerned Sint Maarten's notoriously slow business-license process.
Asked why licenses can take as long as two years, Heyliger-Marten agreed that the process has taken “far too long.” She described it as a longstanding problem predating the current administration but said that could not justify maintaining the status quo.
The Minister said she has a draft proposal to make the process less bureaucratic, more efficient and predictable. The eventual intention is to digitalize the process.
She also said a tender process is underway under the Country Reform Package E6 for proposals to develop a digital and automated licensing system.
The admission is important because licensing delays are not merely administrative inconveniences. Businesses waiting months — or potentially years — to operate can face rent, financing and other costs without being able to generate the income anticipated when they invested.
Heyliger-Marten said she understood that financial impact from her own private-sector experience and described the delays as frustrating.
Economic growth is not reaching every kitchen table
The most politically consequential exchange came in response to MP Darryl York, who challenged the government's repeated references to strong tourism performance by asking a simple question: if Sint Maarten has some of the strongest tourism growth in the region, why are people still hungry?
Heyliger-Marten did not dispute the premise that households continue to struggle.
“Tourism growth and household well-being are not the same,” she responded.
The Minister acknowledged that many families continue to feel cost-of-living pressure despite the tourism sector's performance. She said the question is no longer merely whether the economy is growing, but how more of that growth reaches “the kitchen table.”
Her stated strategy is to move from tourism growth to tourism value by strengthening local businesses and production, reducing import dependence and keeping more tourism dollars circulating domestically.
That distinction cuts directly to one of the central questions surrounding government's economic policy: who is actually benefiting from the growth?
No first-year tax relief programme for new businesses
Another revealing answer came when Parliament questioned whether TEATT was coordinating with the Ministry of Finance to provide tax-free periods or exemptions to help local businesses survive their difficult first year.
The answer was no.
Heyliger-Marten confirmed that TEATT currently has no incentive programme with Finance providing first-year tax exemptions or tax-free periods.
Instead, the Ministry is relying on training, coaching and practical assistance through the Small Enterprise Development Center. Any tax exemption or reduction, she explained, would have to be addressed through the government's broader fiscal and tax policy in cooperation with Finance.
The distinction is significant. Training can strengthen businesses, but it is fundamentally different from direct fiscal relief for entrepreneurs facing high start-up costs and limited cash flow.
Tourism Authority: Cg. 750,000 cannot be transferred yet
Parliament also pressed the Minister over the Cg. 750,000 allocated as seed funding for the proposed Sint Maarten Tourism Authority.
Heyliger-Marten disclosed that the legislative framework required to formally establish the authority as an independent ZBO is targeted for completion only by mid-2027.
More importantly, the Minister said the Cg. 750,000 can only be transferred to the Tourism Authority once the ordinance is finalized.
In the meantime, TEATT says destination marketing for the 2026-2027 high season will continue through existing allocations covering the United States, Canada, Europe, South America and the Caribbean, alongside cooperative airline marketing and collaboration with Princess Juliana International Airport.
Cg. 3.4 million in international PR contracts
The Minister further confirmed that the budget contains seven international public-relations contracts totaling Cg. 3.4 million.
Five PR contracts are scheduled to expire in December 2026, one digital-marketing contract in October, and a website-development contract is also scheduled to conclude this year.
Heyliger-Marten said TEATT and the Tourism Bureau intend to increase participation by local professionals. An execution plan has been finalized to contract qualified local content creators and influencers for destination-focused material and targeted marketing initiatives.
This means Parliament will have an opportunity to scrutinize what replaces those international contracts as they expire and how much of Sint Maarten's future tourism-marketing expenditure will actually be directed toward local professionals.
Gambling reform: two years of work, zero additional revenue so far
One of the sharpest contrasts between policy development and actual financial results emerged around gambling reform.
After questions about approximately two years of reviews, business cases, consultation and technical work, the Minister confirmed that the anticipated additional revenue from the new gambling regulatory framework cannot yet be collected.
The reason is straightforward: the necessary legislation has not entered into force.
Heyliger-Marten said the business case has been completed and accepted, but the gambling ordinance remains in the legislative process. As a result, the new revenue mechanisms are not operational.
TEATT's priority, she said, is to complete the legislative framework and establish the Gambling Authority.
That leaves Parliament with an unavoidable measurement question: after substantial policy work, when will reform move from studies, frameworks and legislation into actual enforcement and revenue?
Minister cannot tell Parliament how many casinos are in breach overall
The casino discussion exposed another significant limitation.
TEATT said it does not maintain a single government-wide classification showing every casino operator as either fully compliant or in breach across all regulatory obligations.
The Ministry explained that its casino-control function supervises matters within its own legal mandate, including gaming-equipment inventories, verification, calibration and licensing requirements.
The Minister cited a 2026 inspection in which an irregular bingo ball was identified, removed and replaced.
But when asked directly how many casino license holders are currently in breach of all regulatory requirements, Heyliger-Marten said: “No, not as an overall number.”
She explained that taxation, labor, anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing obligations fall under different competent authorities.
The government nevertheless says it now has a substantially clearer understanding of the gambling industry than it did two years ago, pointing to draft legislation, an accepted business case for the proposed authority, a gambling prevalence study, a proposed regulatory model, and identified weaknesses in the current supervisory system.
Comprehensive consumer-protection legislation still does not exist
Perhaps one of the clearest admissions came near the end of the Minister's answers.
Asked what additional protection consumers have today and whether Sint Maarten still lacks comprehensive consumer-protection legislation, Heyliger-Marten confirmed that the country does not yet have comprehensive consumer-protection legislation.
She acknowledged this remains an important legislative gap and said the intended competition-law and fair-trade framework should strengthen consumer protection.
For a ministry repeatedly emphasizing consumer protection as part of its economic strategy, that unfinished legislation remains a substantial gap.
Airbnb and short-term rentals targeted for accommodation tax
Government is, however, moving toward expanding accommodation-tax collection to short-term rental platforms.
Heyliger-Marten said draft legislation would establish the legal basis for government to enter tax-collection agreements with platforms such as Airbnb, Expedia and VRBO.
The draft has already been submitted to Legal Affairs, feedback has been received, and stakeholder consultation is expected to continue after legal technicalities are addressed.
“Airbnb has not been forgotten,” the Minister told Parliament.
The policy aims not simply to change tax rates but to bring more accommodation providers into the collection system.
Public transportation overhaul promised
TEATT also intends to fundamentally restructure the public-transportation permit system.
According to Heyliger-Marten, the proposed framework would establish a centralized permit registry, defined routes and permit conditions, route allocation based on transportation demand and stronger monitoring.
The Ministry also believes rules should be strengthened to prevent transportation permits from becoming assets that permit holders simply rent to other operators without actually providing the service themselves.
Proposed service standards include valid permits, authorized routes, inspected and roadworthy vehicles, insurance, registration, passenger-capacity requirements, approved fares, cleanliness, reliability and professional treatment of passengers.
Agriculture: land remains a fundamental obstacle
On food security, the Minister acknowledged another basic reality: government cannot meaningfully expand agriculture without land.
Heyliger-Marten said TEATT is discussing the issue with VROMI and exploring possibilities with private landowners for agriculture and animal husbandry.
Once suitable land is secured, agreements would determine how farmers or leasing entities manage and use it.
“Without access to suitable land, it is difficult to meaningfully expand local agriculture production,” the Minister acknowledged.
Meanwhile, the proposed Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Agency remains dependent partly on external financing. The Ministry said discussions continue with TWO regarding that funding, but it cannot presently give Parliament a definitive approval date.
Cg. 4 million project remains on hold
The Minister faced sustained questioning over the approximately Cg. 4 million allocation for the Flagpole Project, despite no formal agreement with the landowners.
Heyliger-Marten confirmed the absence of an agreement and said the project is consequently on hold.
She insisted, however, that including the allocation in the budget does not itself create a financial obligation. According to the Minister, the capital line reserves funding, but the government cannot proceed with works until the required legal arrangement is completed.
Under further questioning, she said the allocation remains “uncommitted, unspent and on hold” and argued that Parliament's budget authorization establishes a ceiling rather than constituting the actual expenditure of the Cg. 4 million.
Cg. 15 million Philipsburg project defended
Similar questions were raised about the approximately Cg. 15 million capital allocation for the Clem Labega Square redevelopment.
Heyliger-Marten said the government already has a conceptual design, project scope, preliminary spatial layout, estimated construction timeline, and cost estimate forming the basis of the budget ceiling.
Full feasibility, architectural and engineering work would follow after capital allocations are confirmed, according to her explanation.
The redevelopment is expected to create approximately 100 parking spaces — around 20 more than existing capacity — with preliminary construction estimated at 18 to 24 months, subject to final design, procurement and permitting.
Government is also considering a multi-story parking facility at the former post office property, although that remains in an early planning phase.
The central question: when does planning become delivery?
Heyliger-Marten's answers reveal a ministry attempting to transform nearly every major part of Sint Maarten's economic architecture simultaneously: tourism governance, gambling regulation, business licensing, public transportation, agriculture, fisheries, consumer protection, statistics, short-term-rental taxation, parking, investment promotion and small-business development.
The Minister's defense is that these areas are interconnected and that abandoning long-term reforms simply because they cannot produce instant results would be irresponsible.
There is substance to that argument.
But Parliament's scrutiny also exposes the other side of the equation: several flagship reforms remain in legislation, tendering, consultation, external-financing negotiations, conceptual design or institutional-development stages.
Heyliger-Marten herself said she is “encouraged by the progress” but is “not satisfied that we have reached where we need to be.” She acknowledged that too many people remain under pressure and said the pace and visibility of government's delivery must improve.
That may ultimately be the benchmark by which TEATT's 2026 agenda must be judged.
The Ministry has presented the plans. It has identified the problems. It has produced studies, business cases, frameworks, draft legislation and institutional concepts.
The next test is execution — and whether ordinary residents, entrepreneurs and consumers can actually see and feel the results before another budget debate arrives.