Sark budget approved after 27% impot hike is reduced

SARK'S Chief Pleas approved the island's £1.3m. budget yesterday, but only after members threw out a 27% hike in impot duties on drinks and tobacco.

Although part of the proposed increase was linked to the salary of the new temporary chief secretary and questions had been asked at the start of the sitting about how this would be funded, there was little in the way of direct reference to this during the debate on the budget.

However, when conseillers voted on the impot duty increases in isolation at the end of that debate, they narrowly rejected the move by 13 votes to 10, leaving the Finance and Commerce Committee in a quandary about how the shortfall would be funded.

As committee chairman Stefan Gomoll told the assembly, the law required Sark to produce a balanced budget and he asked for guidance from members on whether they wanted a lower impot duty increase or perhaps an increase in personal and property taxes.