PJIA saw 1.8 million passengers travel through the terminal in 2015. If that number is approaching 2 million passengers now than that means this would be a tax that generates $60 million US dollars to Sint Maarten. If you read the article than you see that the MP wants this money to flow to SZV, which is the SXM version of the US Social Security Administration. They want the money to pay for pensions and healthcare for their citizens because they can't get their house in order.

I agree with you. It is extortion. For every tourist that says no and goes somewhere else, they'll lose thousands in revenue for the $30 their trying to lift out of their wallet.