PHILIPSBURG--The draft 2020 budget, which was submitted to the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT on January 22, stands at NAf. 486 million, a tad higher than the 2019 budget which stood at NAf. 478.8 million.
According to figures provided by the Finance Ministry via the cabinet of Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs, of the total budget, an amount of NAf. 486 million is for operational cost; NAf. 461.5 million for revenue; NAf. 59 million for investments; NAf. 5.3 million for loans receivable; NAf. 28.4 million for loans payable and NAf. 52 million for authorisation to contract new loans.
In addition, an initiative amendment to the 2019 budget, which had been submitted by then Member of Parliament (MP) Silveria Jacobs to amend the amount budgeted for the hiring of consultants, so more money would be budgeted for the immediate needs of society – is included in the draft 2020 budget. This has resulted in NAf. 700,000 being allocated for education at the Pointe Blanche Prison; NAf. 1.7 million for after school care programmes; NAf. 480,000 for school sports programmes to promote and stimulate school sports and to develop youth talent; and NAf. 400,000 for the development of national teams and the further development of national teams and sports organisations.
The draft budget is currently being reviewed by CFT, whose deadline to respond is February 5. “We will then need a few days for tweaking and making any changes for it to go back to the Council of Ministers on February 11 … after it has been to the Council of Ministers, then it can go on the Council of Advice with a request for urgency, seeing the circumstances,” Prime Minister Jacobs said on Wednesday.
She estimated it would take two to four weeks after this time before the budget could go to Parliament for debate. This is expected to be at the beginning of March.
