Suriname Digitalisation: Tax and Customs Push, Six ICT Centres in 2027
SURINAME · GOVERNMENT
Key Facts
- —The country Suriname is a Dutch-speaking country of about 600,000 people on the north coast of South America. It is preparing for large offshore oil revenue later this decade.
- —The background Government processes are slow: Simons said teachers who qualified for promotion in 2019 were only now receiving their decisions.
- —Why now President Jennifer Simons used her annual address on 30 September 2026, which opens the debate on the 2027 budget, to set out her government’s priorities.
- —What happened She said the digitalisation of tax and customs processes, civil service records and a single government platform must be well under way in 2027.
- —The numbers Six regional ICT centres are to open in 2027, with three more to follow. No cost or supplier has been published.
- —What it means for you Businesses that import goods or pay taxes in Suriname can expect more of their dealings with the tax office and customs to move online, but not immediately.
- —Still open Simons said the projects will not be finished within a year. No completion dates were given.
Suriname digitalisation is speeding up: President Jennifer Simons wants digital tax and customs processes well under way in 2027. She made the pledge in her annual address to the National Assembly on 30 September 2026.
The plan matters because Suriname is trying to raise more revenue through better collection and a wider tax base before oil money arrives. Simons was frank that the change will take longer than a year.
What Simons announced
The government will speed up the digitalisation of public services, the official government information site gov.sr said on 30 September. Tax and customs processes come first on the list.
Civil service administration, a general government platform, and better connectivity, affordability and digital skills follow. “De regering bouwt aan een moderne, transparante en datagedreven overheid,” Simons said: “The government is building a modern, transparent and data-driven state.”
“We zullen daar als totale regering aan werken,” she added, according to the Suriname Herald: “We will work on it as a whole government.”
Priorities for 2027 also include a digital population register, digital personnel files, a renewed pension administration and secure management of government information.
Six ICT centres outside the capital
Six ICT centres are to open in 2027 in Albina, Brownsweg, Bernarddorp, Atjoni, Powaka and Moengo. Three more are planned for Nieuw-Aurora, Pamaka and Nieuw-Jakobkondre.
The locations run from Albina on the border with French Guiana to Atjoni on the Upper Suriname River. Most lie well outside Paramaribo, the capital.
The government did not say what the centres will cost, who will run them or what services they will offer.
Why tax and customs come first
The 2027 budget submitted with the speech shows a deficit, Starnieuws reported. About 23 per cent of planned spending goes on debt service.
The president argued that the answer cannot be to keep taxing the same citizens and businesses more heavily.
Customs modernisation is to continue in 2027 with better data, digitalisation, targeted checks and stronger collection, Starnieuws reported.
Simons also pointed to slow internal processes.
Teachers who earned a further qualification in 2019 were only now receiving their promotion decisions, she said.
“We kunnen dat ding niet door blijven doen,” she added: “We cannot keep doing that.”
To build skills, the government plans to turn a higher-education public administration programme into an independent Public School of Governance.
The bigger plan
The address came as the government drafts a new Multi-Year Development Plan towards 2030, GFC Nieuws reported. It is to be tied to a framework with scenarios for growth, inflation, the exchange rate, interest rates and future oil income.
That oil income is still some years away. The offshore GranMorgu project, led by France’s TotalEnergies, is expected to produce its first oil in 2028.
Simons has argued that Suriname’s finances must be in order before large oil revenue arrives, Starnieuws reported. Better tax and customs systems are part of that preparation.
Improved connectivity is also meant to reach public services, education and healthcare, the Suriname Herald reported.
What comes next
The National Assembly now debates the 2027 budget, which will show how much money backs the digital plans. The constitution requires the president to present the policy agenda each year at a special session; the draft budget follows straight after.
The speech does not mean Suriname’s tax or customs rules are changing now. No new tax was announced in this part of the address.
The direction is clear, but the pace will depend on funding and on a civil service the president herself called slow.
The budget debate should show whether the tax office, customs and the ICT centres receive dedicated funding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Suriname’s annual address?
Under Article 81 of the constitution, the president presents the government’s policy agenda each year at a special public session of the National Assembly. The draft budget for the following year is submitted at the same time.
Will tax and customs in Suriname be fully digital in 2027?
No. President Jennifer Simons said the projects will not be completed within a year but must be well under way in 2027. No completion dates have been published.
Where will the new ICT centres be?
Six are planned for 2027 in Albina, Brownsweg, Bernarddorp, Atjoni, Powaka and Moengo, with three more later in Nieuw-Aurora, Pamaka and Nieuw-Jakobkondre.
Why does Suriname need more tax revenue?
The 2027 budget shows a deficit and nearly a quarter of spending goes on debt service. The government wants to collect more from a wider base rather than raise taxes on existing payers.
Sources: Government of Suriname (gov.sr), Digitalisering van overheidsdiensten wordt versneld met investeringen, government press release, 30 September 2026, Suriname Herald, Regering versnelt digitalisering van belasting, douane en ambtenarenadministratie, 2 October 2026, Starnieuws, Bijna kwart begrote uitgaven voor schuldenlast, 1 October 2026, Starnieuws, Simons: Niet steeds dezelfde burgers en bedrijven zwaarder belasten, 30 September 2026, GFC Nieuws, Tweede jaarrede Simons tegen achtergrond van nieuwe ontwikkelingsagenda richting 2030, 30 September 2026. Quotes translated from Dutch by The Rio Times. All retrieved 2 October 2026.
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