~ Government focusing on paying salaries. ~
PHILIPSBURG: --- Civil Servants that are looking out for their vacation allowances as of June 15th will have to wait a bit longer as the government of St. Maarten is focusing on paying salaries as of now.
In response to a question posed by SMN News, the Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion said that St. Maarten agreed to the 12.5% cuts to get liquidity support as such government cannot move away from the agreements made with the Netherlands regarding cuts.
Minister Irion said that St. Maarten is in dire need of urgent liquidity support and since that is not available, the focus is to pay salaries at the end of this month. The Minister said the Constitutional Court did not render a decision yet pertaining to the cuts and if it is in line with the country’s constitution.
The Minister further explained that since St. Maarten did not get the liquidity support from the Netherlands the country is surviving on a month-on-month basis, meaning salaries and other expenses are paid with the revenue received from taxes. He said that now that the homeporting kicked off it is expected that the country will do a better will do better economically.