Remember, it's not your money...

PUBLICATION today of Treasury and Resources' capital prioritisation report shows how far those in charge of the island's finances are prepared to deviate from previous - and States endorsed - policies of paying for major works with money it has saved.

T&R is also proposing embarking on a revenue generating programme that will cost every taxpayer in the order of an extra £20 a week.

By way of compensation, the department is suggesting that it might restrain States expenditure by 2% - or around a pitiful 2.5p per taxpayer a week.

The scale of the contrast is breathtaking and will not be lost on islanders.

That said, it is difficult not to have some sympathy for T&R. The States over the years has consistently under-invested in the island's infrastructure at the same time as allowing day-to-day expenditure to spiral largely out of control.

Those chickens are coming home to roost now that some inescapable projects such as the airport runway and other long-overdue developments have become pressing.

However, at a time when islanders face job uncertainty, pay freezes, higher taxes and struggling to live within their means, government shows resolutely no sign of controlling its own expenditure.

And to pay for that lack of disicpline, the department is happy to see petrol rise by 20p a litre and introduce a host of other measures to take money off and give half of it - for that is exactly what happens to 50% of all cash extracted from islanders - back to public sector employees.

That is one of the reasons why the Policy Council is holding back discussion of T&R's document so that the Assembly can first debate introducing a formal fiscal policy framework.

As it says, borrowing as envisaged by T&R is a clear departure from past practice 'and will require a fundamental change in the mindset of policy makers'.

Taxpayers can only pray that includes deputies recognising it's not their money they're spending and start exercising prudence with other people's hard-earned cash.