2021 Financial Statement of the Government of St. Maarten

January 27, 2023 2:39 pm

Philipsburg – The General Audit Chamber presented its audit report entitled Compliance Audit: 2021 Financial Statements St. Maarten to Parliament. By law, the Audit Chamber examines whether the government acted in a legally consistent and effective way when spending St. Maarten's public funds.

The annually recurring audit forms the basis for Parliament to provide its opinion on the financial management of Government. We believe that the 2021 Financial Statements do not provide a true and fair representation of the government's income and expenses nor its financial position as of December 31, 2021. The Audit Chamber identified irregularities and deficiencies in the 2021 Financial Statements. For example, there are expenses without a corresponding budget, and revenue was either unrealized or under budget.

According to the Audit Chamber, the planned implementation of the Country packages should lead to overall improved financial management and quality of the financial statements. Sound financial management produces, among other things, more efficient use of tax money.

The report is published in both English and Dutch and is available on the website of the General Audit Chamber (www.arsxm.org).