NA MP Egbert Doran.
PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) Member of Parliament (MP) Egbert Doran is challenging the government to show what residents are actually getting in return for the approximately Cg 662 million in expenditure proposed in the 2027 Budget.
He said on Monday that Parliament must look beyond figures on paper and demand evidence that public money is solving problems. “A budget cannot only look good on paper. At the end of the day, people want to know what the government is doing with their money and what difference it is going to make in their everyday lives,” Doran said during the Central Committee meeting on the draft 2027 Budget.
He noted that Parliament had dealt with and passed the 2026 Budget only about a month earlier. While he said he did not expect everything raised during that debate to have been completed already, he wanted the government to provide updates on matters where action had been promised, motions had been passed or clarity had remained insufficient.
A major part of Doran’s questions concerned the cost of living. He returned to his motion on the basket of goods and price control, which Parliament passed on August 26, 2026.
He asked what work had started on creating a revised price-controlled basket based on products and product categories rather than specific brands, as requested in the motion. He also questioned how maximum prices and wholesaler margins would be determined and how the government would ensure that savings reach consumers at the cash register.
Doran also asked about the digital maximum-price system. The Budget refers to an online maximum-price database that was expected to be launched in the second quarter of 2026 and covers at least 80 percent of key goods and services. He asked whether this had happened and whether the system for regularly adjusting and publishing regulated prices was operating.
The hurricane price-control list was another concern. Doran said Parliament had requested during the previous Budget debate that the list be published within 10 days. He asked whether it had been published and requested updated figures on price-control inspections during the 2026 hurricane season, including violations, actions taken and repeat offenders.
He also asked whether the government had assessed the financial losses suffered by market vendors and how it was determining whether the relief provided to them was sufficient.
Doran devoted extensive questions to GEBE’s billing and fuel-clause issues. He asked for the status of the independent review by BTP of GEBE’s billing and fuel-clause calculations, including when the final findings are expected and whether they will be provided to Parliament and made public.
He also asked whether BTP had received the information needed to independently verify the Cg 0.49 fuel-clause calculation.
Doran separated the fuel-clause issue from concerns about meters. He asked whether GEBE had conducted a comprehensive audit or testing exercise of its electricity and water meters in 2026, how many meters were tested, how many were found to have problems and whether customers were charged too much or too little.
He further asked whether GEBE had calculated the financial impact of meter discrepancies and how many consumers may have been affected.
On VROMI, Doran welcomed the Cg. 4 million allocated for paving unpaved side roads and asked which roads would be addressed, how many could be completed and what criteria would determine the order of the work.
Building permits were another focus. Doran recalled that the Government had identified 662 pending applications during the 2026 Budget process. He asked how many remain pending and how many of those 662 have been dealt with.
He also questioned how the Cg.2 million allocated for digitalisation and automation of building-permit assessments will change the application process, when residents will be able to apply and track applications online and what processing time the government will target.
On housing, Doran returned to the 1,200-home objective and asked what concrete step the Government will take in 2027. He also questioned when the Multi-Year Housing Strategy will be completed and whether it will show where homes will be built, how projects will be financed and the responsibilities of Government, the Housing Development Foundation and private developers or public-private partnerships.
Doran asked Finance for an update on possible taxation of foreign-owned property, including which options are being considered and their potential revenue.
He also repeatedly raised the tourist tax. The draft 2027 Budget shows zero revenue from the measure, while approximately Cg. 18 million had previously been contemplated.
Doran asked whether the Minister supports implementing the tourist tax, what is currently being done to make it a reality, what is holding it up and when it could be implemented.
Doran also questioned the fairness of tax reform, asking what would make life easier for ordinary taxpayers and small businesses and what the government is doing to collect taxes already owed before placing additional burdens on existing taxpayers.
Doran asked Justice whether crime patterns are being studied and used to determine where and when police resources are deployed. He also questioned information-sharing between Immigration, KPSM and the Prosecutor’s Office and sought timelines for resolving outstanding placement and retroactive payments for Justice workers.
For ECYS, he focused on technical and vocational education, asking which programmes will receive additional support and how the Education-Labour Council will connect students with employers and internships. He also questioned the purpose and services of the new library, including digital resources, internet access, computers and whether residents will have to pay for those services.
Doran asked VSA about healthcare reforms and General Health Insurance, including expected savings, additional revenue, the status of legislation and what patients should notice in 2027. He also sought information on assistance for seniors and preparation for an ageing population.
Doran said Parliament has a responsibility to test the Budget’s figures, follow the government’s timelines and determine whether promised measures reach residents. “The 2027 Budget is approximately Cg 662 million in expenditure. When Parliament is asked to approve that level of spending, Parliament has every right to ask what the country is receiving in return,” he said.
