Integrity and Taxation Under Pressure in Curaçao

WILLEMSTAD Strengthening integrity and good governance in Curaçao is a top priority in the Netherlands' policy for the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. State Secretary Zsolt Szabó of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations emphasized in response to parliamentary questions that corruption and undermining crime have no place in a constitutional state. 

The State Secretary stated that he is working with Curaçao and other islands on a good governance agenda focusing on transparency, oversight, and enforcement. 

Tackling Corruption and Undermining Crime 

The State Secretary acknowledged that addressing undermining crime, cronyism, and corruption is an autonomous responsibility of the countries. “However, the fight against these forms of crime requires expertise and operational capacity that the countries have in limited supply. That is why the Netherlands continues to support Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten in their shared goal of strengthening the rule of law,” Szabó said. 

Integrity 

Szabó outlined steps being taken to improve administrative integrity, including the development of monitoring tools to identify and address integrity issues. 

The Netherlands aims to align with existing integrity indexes and is collaborating with organizations such as Transparency International. Legislative experts are also being deployed to streamline and safeguard licensing procedures. 

A key pillar of the approach is introducing administrative instruments against undermining practices, modeled after the Dutch system. This includes denying or revoking permits and enforcing actions in cases of suspected corruption, money laundering, or drug trafficking. Additional resources are being allocated to strengthen the capacity of the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Criminal Investigation Cooperation Team (RST), and border control. 

Tax Collection 

Curaçao is also facing significant challenges in tax collection. Tax arrears grew from 2.6 billion to 3.4 billion guilders in 2024. While the Netherlands is assisting Curaçao in modernizing its Tax Office, tax collection remains the island's responsibility. According to Szabó, the reform process is on track, but structural efforts are needed to tackle the backlog. 

Roadmap for Good Governance 

In the spring of 2025, the State Secretary will present a good governance agenda, which will also address support for whistleblowers, oversight of permits, and clear procedures for procurement and tendering. Since 2021, the Netherlands has made €1 million available annually to develop administrative tools to combat undermining practices. This approach aims to contribute to a transparent, efficient, and resilient government in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.




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